The Rising
by AxJfan
Summary: Jaden has returned to his world. However, he's still hiding something from his friends. But this secret is dangerous, it could end everything. Darkness is rising... AxJ
1. Prolouge

**DICLAIMER: I DON'T OWN YUGIOH GX! IF I DID ALEXIS AND JADEN WOULD BE DATING AND JESSE WOULD ALWAYS WEAR HIS EVIL OUTFIT!**

**Thanks for reading and just as a heads up, I'm infamous for having long stories.**

**Prologue **

He couldn't feel anything. Something in the back of his mind told him that that wasn't a good sign, but he had already learned that he couldn't trust his thought nowadays. It was a strange thing, feeling your body fall as if you weren't apart of it anymore, but maybe he wasn't. He could have fallen into darkness again. Maybe that would explain why he could no longer see anything…

"Jaden!"

What was that? He tried in vain to open his eyes to view whoever was talking to him. It was no use. They felt as if they weighed two tons. Sleep was beckoning to him, and he desperately wanted to just lay back and drift away. There was just too much noise.

"Jaden! Please hang in there!"

He wished that this person would just be quiet so he could sleep. Didn't he deserve that for reviving all the souls that had been destroyed on his orders and by his own hand?

"Don't Jaden, don't leave us, please!"

He wasn't going anywhere. Why was this person over-reacting? They reminded him of someone he knew… a friend perhaps? Wasn't his name Syrus?

"Jaden Yuki, you cannot die now!"

Die? Is that what is happening to me? Did I use up all my energy to open the gate?

"My king, please open your eyes and show us that they have not turned!"

King? I'm no king. Haou is the king. Haou… My eyes aren't his anymore! With a great effort, Jaden opened his eyes just a tiny bit. He saw two woman standing over him, one dressed like a nurse, the other was holding a trident and had three little fairy creatures near her head. The rest was lost in the brilliant red-white light of his gateway that should have sent them where ever they believed their home was. So why were they here by his side? When did he fall to the ground? He closed his eyes again; unable to keep them focused anymore.

"Haou hasn't taken him away from us yet," the nurse-spirit said as his eyes closed. "But he may have just destroyed his heart… I don't know if I can heal this wound."

I'm wounded? Haou… I was in the gate, watching over everyone's revivals… Yubel, Neos, Kuriboh… Wait, I remember!

He had been standing in the center of the vortex, watching his friends come back to life because of his spirit and then watching their sleeping forms return to home… some of the spirits lingered before departing, waiting for family or just thanking him quietly.

"You have to try! Please, he can't die! Not now! Not after all he's been through!"

He had felt the familiar sinister darkness before anyone else, he had acted upon instinct, drawing power from Neos, Yubel, and Winged Kuriboh who all held his hand and were glowing along with him. They had sensed his actions, but were confused because they couldn't sense Haou's presence. Then he remembered a dark vortex of energy slamming into him, red liquid clouded his vision and then he briefly felt razor sharp claws punch into his chest… but then he released his energy, crying out to everyone to leave before the gate collapsed… he had fallen as his spirit partners faded away as his energy escaped, leaving them unable to keep in solid form…

"I have to try," the other female agreed. "But without his guidance, this place could fall apart at any second."

"Then hurry!"

"Try and keep him conscious, Maiden of Aqua, if he falls into unconsciousness, we'll lose him completely!"

"Right!"

Here she said something Jaden couldn't catch, and the next thing he knew, something very cold and wet splashed against his face and cooled him off.

"Can you control that to cleanse his cuts? That would help me a great deal."

The other lady must have nodded, because the next thing he knew the dampness spread towards his chest, and then he couldn't feel it anymore.

"Thank you. Leave Jaden Yuki to me now."

Suddenly, all of the feeling came roaring back, the fire that ran through his veins and the ragged hole where his heart was. The poison that ran through his damaged heart, emitting from his own darkness, threatening to swallow his soul, mind, and body and leave the others for the deep fiery depths of hell… The pain was unforgivable; it obliterated all other thoughts and now all Judai could focus on was that he was dying. He was dying a hero's death. He was dying from pain and a broken heart.

"Jaden Yuki! Hold still! Maiden, restrain him before he hurts himself!"

Strong, cool hand wrapped around his wrists and prevented him from the thrashing that he had unconsciously been doing. He writhed and heard an ear-splitting, chilling inhuman scream that he had heard after Axel and Jim had saved him… Haou's screech that happened when Jaden had regained control of mind and body and Haou lost… It came from his mouth, confirming his worse fears. Haou really was a part of him. His darkness was Haou. He was a killer. This pain was the pain of all of those he had hunted and killed cruelly… of his friends that had been murdered by his hand… of all the families he had torn apart and the world that he had lead into darkness.

"Jaden!" an astonished voice cried.

"Jaden Yuki?! Hang in there! Don't let Haou take control! Fight him, Jaden Yuki!"

He thrashed around fiercer and with more venom now as the pain threatened to overwhelm him. He could no longer feel the water on his face or the woman kneeling over him. Something sinister was flowing into his mind, ripping him apart at a place that couldn't be reached.

"The gate! The gate is dissolving!"

"That doesn't matter! My true home is by his side now! I can't let my true king die!"

"Jaden, if you can hear me at all, if you can still be saved, use my energy to transport us all to your world, your home. Let us save you as you saved us."

He heard her, but he couldn't do anything. Every last ounce of strength he had was being sucked into the void in his heart and mind. His spirit was leaving him… at least his body would be returned home so that his friends wouldn't come into this world again to try and save him… and all of this mess would start over again. No. They would have solid proof that he was dead and beyond saving because he would be back in his home world where death couldn't be reversed. The only thing he worried about was what they would do because he was dead. He had fallen into darkness of heart because of their deaths, so would they do the same because of him? Would he tear them apart himself by his own darkness? By Haou's ways?

"_I'm not you__…_" he hissed through clenched teeth. "_I won't…"_

"Jaden?"

"What did he say?"

"'I'm not you', Jaden, fight Haou! Fight!"

He pulled his last bit of strength from the deepest part of his soul to move the gate… to bring them home. To prove that he wasn't dark. This time, he wasn't going to give into Haou's presence. This time he would fight. And he would die fighting if he had too. He didn't want to hurt his friends anymore… Haou's dark grip tightened and Jaden felt every muscle in his body go into spasms before everything was obliterated completely by the pain. Now he had only one thought running through his _I'm not you, I won't give in!_

The females said something, but this time Jaden couldn't hear it. Everything was lost to him, words had no meaning. All that was left was sorrow and darkness…

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	2. The Fatal Return

**DICSLAIMER: I DON'T OWN YUGIOH GX! IF I DID, THE DUBBED VOICES WOULDN'T STINK! **

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Chapter 1

Chancellor Sheppard stood watching over the rough ocean from his office. He turned silently towards the Slifer Red dorm in anguish. "Jaden," was all he said.

He glanced at the clock on his desk; it was nearly noon and still nothing. Perhaps Jaden and his friends were dead. He would never know until they came back.

If they ever came back.

"Sheppard!" cried Dr. Zwenstine as he crashed into his office. "The gate… it's opening! But it's a completely different signature that before… it's almost like its living!! Come quickly and bring a doctor, we don't know if whoever is coming through is hurt or healthy!"

"What?! It may be Jaden!" Sheppard cried out. "Bring me there!"

The unlikely trio, scientist, principal, and then doctor, flew outside as fast as their legs could take them and jumped into the scientist's strange car. All the equipment was cackling and beeping as it predicted the gate's reappearance. But they didn't need that anymore.

"What the hell?!" Sheppard exclaimed.

The pillar of light was completely different. Instead of the solid white cylinder that it had been, it was red with gales of red and white light surrounding it. The pillar seemed unstable, its form wasn't cylindrical, and rather it was falling apart., as if it were bathing Academy Island in a mass of sharp piercing glass feathers. But despite the danger, it was beautiful in a haunting way.

"Go faster! We need to get there immediately!" Ms. Fontaine screamed at the driver, asserting whatever authority she had in the situation.

"I can't! The light is too bright! It will block my vision when we get closer to it and I don't want to hit anybody!" he shouted back, awed by the strange occurrences.

The pillar of light dissolved in a mass of downy before their eyes, and just as it disappeared, they could all briefly see the "ghost" of a brilliant red comet.

"Hurry," was all Sheppard could say.

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She was awake.

Chazz, Hassleberry, and her brother Atticus waking up as well—she could tell by the continuous groans and the sound of Chazz's complaints. Just as she opened her hazel eyes, she felt an unexplainable urge to see Jaden. To see him and apologize for what she had said to him: Those cruel, harsh last words that had caused his eyes to go dark and pain to appear on his face… the last words that he would ever hear from his friend. What she had done was terrible.

But what he had done...

That didn't matter anymore. They were back; Jaden had somehow brought them back to life after being sacrificed in that horrible other world to fill the desires of a mad king.

She had to talk to him—no needed to talk to him, some part of her filled with the urge to see him alive and smiling, coming back from the brink of death itself, because she somehow knew that he had come very close in this latest ordeal.

Her eyes found him immediately as they always did and fell on the bright mixture of red, orange, and brown that made up his contour. Smiling, she stood and made her way over to him quickly and smoothly.

"Jaden," she started happily. Then she froze, the giddy relief vanishing from her cold desolate being as the notion that happy endings existed was ripped out from beneath her. "Jaden!"

The others must have heard the panic in her voice because they snapped up, alert and more wary of their surroundings. "Alexis? What's wrong?" they all said, looking around and seeing everyone else asleep. "Hey… how did we get back?"

But she couldn't hear their meaningless chatter. She rushed down to her knees, kneeling before him as countless others had, and grabbed him by the shoulders like no one else dared, shaking him, crying, and calling his name, unable to force herself to look at the glossy pool of red justice around him and the absolute stillness of his body. She lowered him to the forest floor, still crying hysterically, and performed rescue breathing, making Chazz stiffen with jealously out of the corner of her eye.

"Why are you kissing that—?!" he roared. Then he stopped and paled, noticing her tears and the blood that stilled the happiness of their return. His eyes traveled to Jaden's chest where the hole lay where his heart was, to the deep cut across his forehead, and then to a fading one on his arm. Then he put together all of the pieces as he was always so fond of doing and said "No" in complete disbelief. "Jaden!"

Hearing Chazz Princeton address his rival by his name must have been enough of a shock to alert the other two half-awake humans of the tragedy that had befallen them, for Atticus actually looked up from the friend he was checking on to his right to see what was wrong. And when his sight was blocked by the two distressed teens he made to voice his opinions, but was beat to the trigger by Hassleberry.

"What's wrong?" Hassleberry asked, turning towards Chazz with his eyebrows raised.

"Jaden—he's—he can't be—why?!" he hollered in shock, his normally cool demeanor lost on this dark day. "He's…"

"Jaden! No please Jaden! Wake up!" Alexis begged as she tried restarting his heart. "Don't—don't—die!"

"DIE?!" Hassleberry shouted as Alexis went down again, forcing Jaden's useless lungs to breathe. "Sergeant?! Hang in there!"

But that was all that could be done and said in their small clearing, for none of them were trained in medicine, and thus none of them could save the life of their dearest friend. None of them could save their savior, as it was meant to be, for Jaden was always the one doing the saving, and he had often said that he would die for them, and here he was completing the self-made prophecy.

Atticus rushed to Alexis' side in a futile attempt to help, but she pushed him away, clinging to Jaden's body as if it could bring him back from the black abyss he was spiraling towards. "JADEN!!" She screamed in agony. "Jaden! Don't die, please open your eyes! I'm sorry! All of those things I said to you before—I'm sorry! Please Jaden! Please!!"

The agony was just so much to bare, tearing apart at their newly reformed and now vulnerable souls as they watched their hero die before them, slowly, painfully, his eyes not even flickering to see that he had succeeded in bringing them back to life, back home. And seeing the pain of the top-female duelist on campus added to the grief, for her heart had been apparent to all but the dying hero since the day he had stepped foot on campus. But could something as fickle as teenage love weather against the laws of nature and death, could it reverse the wear of the times and the dust of oblivion that was so poised to snatch up the teen far before what they believed was his time?

"I love you! Don't die, please! I love you!"

Nothing changed.

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**BWAHAHAHA! A cliffhanger! Sorry for the short chapter, but the next one is coming up pretty soon. **

**EDIT: Some of my older readers my notice a few changes, that is because I'm going back through the chapters to fix grammer mistakes and spelling, so a sentence or two might be added in some paragraphs, but they will be nothing monumental or plot-changing, so no worries.**

**Hey-lo! Yep, another chapter already. I'm usually really fast with updates. Probably because I have this planned out until like chapter ten… **


	3. Hero or Villain?

**DISCLAIMER: I DON'T OWN YUGIOH GX!!! HOW MANY TIMES DO I HAVE TO SAY THAT?! **

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**Hello readers! This chapter isn't as eventful as the ones coming after it, but it gives some explanation as to what happened before… but nothing that will become a spoiler later! Thank God for spell check! **

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**Chapter 2 **

Alexis woke with a start. She was half-laying on a hospital bed, her other half was sitting in a chair. In front of her lay Jaden, still as death. By some miracle, the hole in his chest had not destroyed his heart, it had actually been undamaged. But it went through him still, beginning in the front and ending out his back. It didn't make any sense, but had allowed Teacher Ayukawa to get his heart restarted.

But one of his lungs had been ruptured, and he couldn't breathe on his own right now. He was too fragile to take off of the island, so the surgeons had to come here instead. He had lost a lot of blood over the past few days and had to have a needle stuck in him to replenish it. He also had an IV in his other arm. His forehead was bandaged up as a result of the cut on his head. It had needed several stitches to stop the bleeding.

It was scary not knowing what was happening; the other's still hadn't woken up. And it had been two days already! They had told Chancellor Sheppard and countless others what had happened when they were still alive, and couldn't come up with a solution as to why Jaden was hurt this badly now. Chazz had suggested that Jaden had obviously finished off Bryon after they disappeared, but maybe one of Bryon's monsters had hurt him in the process.

Atticus disagreed, stating that although the duels were real, they never left and physical injuries, they just drained your stamina and health. Alexis agreed with her brother, mainly because she didn't think that Jaden could be taken down in a duel, they all knew he was very enduring and strong. She looked back at her friends and found them all looking at her as well.

"You were talking in your sleep, sis," Atticus announced. "I'm surprised you didn't wake yourself up."

Alexis gave him a hard look and stood up, stretching. Teacher Ayukawa came into view and asked them to clear out for a little while; she needed to check on Jaden's wounds. They all nodded reluctantly and trudged dismally outside of the room. They didn't say much, just leaned against the wall, absorbed too much in their own thoughts to do much else.

That's when the screaming started.

At first, Alexis rejoiced at the sound of his voice. She had been hoping to hear it for so long now that she was oblivious to the fact that he was screaming in pain. Then Hassleberry started forward and snapped her out of her stupor.

"Jaden!" he exclaimed, throwing the door open.

Teacher Ayukawa was standing over him hesitantly, trying to figure out what was wrong, while Jaden was thrashing around on his bed and screaming. Sweat was rolling down his face as he tossed and turned in agony. Alexis was the first to act. She didn't know what made her move or why her heart was threatening to break by seeing him like this, but she knew she had to help him.

She grabbed his arms, trying to force him to be still, but he was too strong for her. She was jerking along with his movements until Atticus regained enough sense to hold Jaden down as well. However, the more they tried to stop him, the more he seemed to thrash and squirm. Chazz and Hassleberry grabbed Jaden's flailing legs to stabilize him as Ayukawa checked his vitals to solve the problem.

"Jaden!" Alexis gasped. "Calm down! You're alright! There's nothing here that's going to hurt you!"

She was thrown off of him when he twisted unexpectedly and she landed next to the sink with a resounding crash. The water gave her an idea though. She turned on the sink and grabbed a cup, filling it to the brim, and then dashed over to Jaden. Unorthodoxly, she tossed the entire contents of the cup onto his face in a vain attempt at snapping him out of it.

She watched as his entire body bristled, and then collapsed moaning terribly. His tossed a little more, but not a violently as he had before, so the boys were able to restrain him successfully until he was still.

"Good thinking Ms. Rhodes!" Ayukawa praised from the charts.

Alexis sank back down in her chair by Jaden's side, unable to tear her eyes away from his tortured face. "What's wrong with him?"

She shook her head. "I don't know. He was fine until a second ago. Then he went into what was almost like a state of panic and, well, pain. I know that there are several reasons for the pain, but panic?"

"Jaden," Alexis whispered tenderly, closing her eyes. "Jaden, what is wrong with you? What are you afraid of?"

"Darkness."

Alexis' eyes flew open as someone responded to her. She spun around in her chair to see Jim and his Crocodile, Karin, staring at Jaden in concern. "Jim!" Alexis squeaked in relief. "Thank goodness you're awake! You've had us worried."

"You don't need to be worrying about me," he said, tipping his hat towards her.

"What do you mean by 'Darkness'?" Chazz demanded, impulsive as ever.

"Jaden didn't exactly have it easy when you guys turned into light," Jim responded. He briefly recalled Syrus' words towards Jaden and then himself trying to talk to Jaden at his friend's graves, but Jaden had been unresponsive as he was now. "Then he went missing. Axel and I went looking through him all throughout the forest." Here he told them about meeting an old man and his grandson and learning that the Supreme King (Haou) was hunting duelists, so if they wanted to find their friend, odds were he was at Supreme King's castle. Then he told them of their trip to the man's village and then to the castle where they found it was empty as Haou and his army had already left to attack the South side. Jim told them of the destruction of the village and all of the people and duelists and Burgundy's last words before dying. He warned them that Haou was too strong, that they should run. "So naturally I ran over to the other side of the mountain and yelled at Haou that I wouldn't forgive him for what he had done. Then I challenged him to a duel."

"Is that how you died?" Hassleberry interrupted.

Everyone shot him hostile glances except of Jim. "Don't interrupt!" was written all over their faces. Hassleberry flinched and Jim continued on.

His face was full of sorrow as he retold his story. "He responded to me… 'That challenge, I'll take it,"-he said this in a cold voice for emphasis, but couldn't quite manage it. "That's when both me and Axel realized we had heard that voice before."

Something foreboding seemed to grip over the group, Ayukawa gasped in astonishment. Alexis shivered and her hand found Jaden's. She gripped it tightly with no response from him at all.

Jim cast his eye without the bandages onto her and Jaden finishing sadly, "He then lifted his mask and showed us who he was… He was a dear friend… He was Jaden."

"WHAT?!" roared Hassleberry and Chazz at the same time.

"But… why?" Atticus gasped, astonished, staring at Jaden's pain filled face. "He may have been rushing himself, but he's not evil!"

"He wouldn't destroy all of those people, families, lives, spirits," Asuka snarled with such venom that she surprised Jim. "Jaden is a good person with a gentle heart! He's- he's not _dark!_"

"Alexis, let me finish, please," Jim answered, cutting them all off. "Jaden wasn't himself at all. His eyes,"-here Jim shivered slightly-"weren't his own… if that makes any sense. They were a yellow-gold, cold, and emotionless. I forgot about my challenge and persisted in demanded an explanation. Haou's direct followers appeared before us and tortured us right before those cold, uncaring eyes. Jaden didn't do anything to stop them. He just turned his back to us and walked away."

Jim paused in silence here, letting his words sink in.

Alexis was looking at Jaden with fierce concentration. She couldn't see him in dark armor, killing hundreds, or ruling by force. Jaden wasn't dark! "But…," Alexis weakly stated. Then she remembered the card that had started all of this. "Yubel!" she hissed. "This is his entire fault! He must have done something to Jaden!! He must have!"

"If you went back far enough in Jaden's past you could pin it all on Yubel, I suppose," Jim agreed. "Although I don't know exactly what happened to him that made him fall into darkness of heart, I knew that it wasn't Jaden acting," Jim continued. He told them about his other eye, his Orichalcum Eye, that he had gained as a child and when the time came, he could use it to gather the power of the red comet and create a miracle to save his friend. "After I told Axel my story, I returned to Haou's castle and challenged him. On Jaden's first turn, his used 'Dark Fusion' to create Evil-Hero Winged Inferno." Jim described the first turn and then his own next one where he destroyed her twice. "Jaden looked up at me, and his eyes were brown again." Alexis actually sighed in relief, what was wrong with her? Jim cast Alexis a sad glance. "I did the same thing, Alexis. They immediately turned back to yellow. That made me realized that Jaden's heart was seriously hurt."

He continued to describe breaking into Jaden's mind and seeing him kneeling in the center of the mirrored darkness with dead yellow eyes, confused with himself and in pain over what had happened to his friends. Then Haou spoke to Jaden, depressing his heart even more and telling him that to defeat an evil, he must become evil himself. "I tried to talk to him then, but we were forced out of Jaden's mind and returned to the duel." Jim summarized the rest of the duel down to the end where he had almost gotten through to Jaden, but ended up being killed when Haou prevailed.

"I asked Axel to finish the job for me, to save Jaden. Then I don't know what happened for awhile until Axel did fight Jaden again. "I was just there in spirit because of my eye, but I could see that Jaden's soul was almost completely gone. He was being consumed by the dark aura of Haou. Axel finally saw that it was still Jaden, even though only at heart, and he fought back with a vengeance. He launched his last attack on Haou, but he activated Super Fusion again to win the duel. Then Axel played his last move, a card that makes them both take equal damage. While the arena was engulfed in the explosion, Axel ran through it and placed my eye over Jaden's heart. Haou screamed with rage and pain until his voice turned back to Jaden's. I broke into Jaden's darkness one more time and shattered all of the mirrors. Jaden finally lost consciousness and fell into my arms so I could bring him back. That's the last thing I know other than Axel died as a result of this duel."

A ringing silence fell on the group as they stared at Jaden in distress. Alexis gripped Jaden's hand all the tighter. _Am I in love with a hero… or a villain? _

**Yeah! Alexis admits she loooooves Jaden! But is he still… erm… Jaden? You'll find out soon! **

**BWAHAHAHA! I LUV CAPS LOCK! **


	4. Hinting of Danger

**DISCLAIMER: I DON'T OWN YUGIOH GX! SOMEONE ELSE DOES! SO STOP ASKING ME!**

**WARNING: CHAPTER IS AXJ-ISH!**

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**Chapter 3**

A week later with everyone awake, Jaden was successfully breathing on his own again. Now it was the middle of the night that his strokes/spasms happened for the hundredth time. This time, Alexis was the only one awake, and she didn't want to wake anyone else up. His screams pierced her heart like nails and all she could do was stroke his hand with her thumb while she held it.

After a few seconds, she started singing gently, smiling when she thought that maybe she **_was_** related to Atticus after all. She absently stroked Jaden's hair out of his face as she calmed him and was surprised when the crushing pressure that her hand had been enduring because of Jaden's pain lessened and he relaxed completely.

In the darkness, everything was lost to him. He had no name, no memory other than that _he wasn't the darkness and he will not give into it_. The darkness surrounded him, torturing his mind and body until it left him gasping on his knees, unable to kill him unless it wanted to die as well. So he endured this living hell for people that he couldn't remember, just knowing that he wouldn't hurt them again. And now the darkness had returned, tearing at him with mental talons and slicing through his resolve and striking him into submission… until he heard her voice. From one of the mirrors that had been reforming over the days, he heard the voice calling to him and he looked up from his torture and saw an angel.

She had long golden hair and clear hazel eyes that were so full of concern… and something else that the darkness couldn't understand. She was singing to him a sad song and looking at him with that strong emotion in her eyes. Whatever that was, it was so powerful that the darkness fled from her presence and the other mirrors shattered until he was alone with her image. With the darkness gone from his mind, he recognized the emotion in her eyes that had just saved him, love. An angel was in love with him. He felt a light tingling on his left hand and observed it earnestly. It felt like someone was holding it. Was she? He experimented by unclenching his fists to see if anything happened.

The angel stopped singing and looked down at her unseen hand. She smiled a warm radiant smile that caused his cold heart to skip a beat and thaw. He couldn't look away from her beautiful eyes, and she couldn't seem to look away from him. Could she see him through the mirror? Or was she just seeing his body lying hurt and defenseless? She was still smiling at him. Then she closed her eyes and hummed gently, soothing his wounds and soul until he was finally floating peacefully along…

"Alexis…"

Alexis opened her hazel eyes, starting to turn towards her brother to respond. But he was still asleep next to her. Nothing had changed. Who had said her name? There was a light laugh that sent her heart into her throat out of longing. "Jaden!"

He was looking up at her with his deep brown eyes, a slight smile on his face. "Hey."

"Hey," she breathed, blushing with the passion in her voice. "Are you alright?"

He nodded, his eyelids drooping like he was about to fall asleep.

"Can you remember anything?" She asked, hoping that he said that he couldn't remember the pain.

"Some of it… not most… I was in darkness… then… something happened," he frowned as he tried to remember. His eyes closed and Alexis started.

"Jaden?"

"Still here…"

She sighed in relief. "I was worried. Jim and Axel said… things about you."

"Darkness… Haou right?" Judai whispered.

Her heart went cold.

"…… I-I hurt a lot of people… and killed Jim and Axel," he choked out like it hurt him.

"Jaden, it's alright. Everyone's here again. We're back."

"Good, that's good," Judai whispered, sounding like he was near sleeping. "I thought that when I was hurt-the gate was broken…"

"What gate? How did you get hurt? Jaden?" Alexis gasped, completely besides herself and increasing the level of her voice. Ayukawa stirred beside her. Alexis shook her gently saying, "He's awake!"

"Gate… in the gate," Jaden tiredly repeated, cracking open his eyes. "Two spirits helped me…One called me 'king' but I'm not a king… She tried to heal…"

"Jaden?" Ayukawa commanded, snapping into reality.

Jaden's eyes weren't focused anymore. "Lex?"

"I'm right here Jaden," she said, stressing her words.

He sounded like he was convincing her of something important. "I'm not dark, I promise."

She let out a slight sob, so relieved to hear her fears abashed by him that tears started rolling down her cheeks. "I know Jaden, I've always known."

His eyes were concerned before they fluttered shut. "Why… crying?"

"Because I'm happy to see you is all."

He laughed quietly before falling silent and breathing deeply.

"He's asleep," Ayukawa smiled. "He's very strong, Alexis, he'll be alright in no time."

She nodded and whipped the tears from her eyes, slightly embarrassed. "What I don't understand is how he can sleep after not being awake for a week!"

Her teacher nodded smiling as she looked down at Alexis' and Jaden's intertwined hands.

Jaden was in the hospital for another week, waking up on and off each day for no more than a few minutes. There were signs of improvement as the week stretched on though. Alexis marked the first official one when Chazz, who had been the one talking to Jaden after he woke up, let out a roar of frustration and tossed the covers over Jaden's hair. Jaden was chuckling from under the sheets. Alexis repressed a smile for Chazz's sake; it seemed that Jaden was back in the habit of teasing him, that was a good sign.

Alexis fell asleep one night by his side, holding his hand absently while she half heard Chazz fuming in the background, and when she woke up, he was sitting up and reading over one of the seemingly hundreds of get well cards that surrounded his bed. He was smiling so gently and he looked so serene in this light that she found she couldn't look away. She was enraptured by the calm in his eyes and the way his brown hair fell across his face, and she was confused as to why she had never noticed how attractive he was to her.

He was moving slowly and cautiously, being careful not to wake her, she realized, as he placed the card back and looked back at her. Her eyes instinctively clasped shut, and Jaden didn't seem to notice, because she felt his smooth hand brush a lose strand of her blonde hair behind her ear. She smiled and could almost see him smile too.

Jaden's health increased over the next few days and he was soon back in his dorm with the rest of the gang, celebrating their return to Earth. Chancellor Sheppard was there as well, he seemed to be twenty years younger after seeing that all of his students were back and safe. Half-way through the party Jaden broke away from the bulk of the crowd and stood with his hands folded across his chest, staring out at the ocean with an expressionless face. Alexis was the first to notice him, and broke away from Chazz to check on him. She didn't like that blank look.

She walked up so that she was standing to his right, glancing at him through the corner of her eyes. He was still looking outward at the sea with his eyes in conflict, as if he was in an argument.

"Jaden?" Alexis asked.

He turned towards her with what looked like a great effort. "Yeah?"

"Why don't you come back to the party?" She wondered, trying to put together the right words for her foreboding feeling.

He smiled at her, sending her heart on frenzy. "I'm kind of in two minds about the party… After everything that happened… I just don't feel like my hearts completely in it right now… I'm still feeling guilty to be honest."

She was surprised by how honest he was being with her. He had never really been straightforward when he was feeling down or what it was that made him feel like that. "Jaden, you shouldn't feel guilty. You saved us all."

"I didn't say that I _should_ feel guilty, I just said that I am," Jaden snapped coldly, shocking his friend. He regretted saying this the second it was out of his mouth. It wasn't Alexis' fault. "Lex, I'm sorry. I didn't mean to snap at you… I'm just sort of;"-he searched for the appropriate word and failed-"I've just got a lot on my mind lately."

She surprised him by taking his hand gently. He recoiled and warmed to her touch at the same time, making his face turn red with embarrassment at his indecision and Alexis cast her eyes away from him to avoid letting him see her disappointment. She let her hand drop out of his, but Jaden caught it before to slipped out of his.

Alexis looked down at their clasped hands and looked back at Jaden who finally met her gaze. He tried to smile at her, but couldn't quite manage his usually grin. He wasn't sure if he could be with her. Atticus chose that moment to burst in on them and drag the pair back into the party. The entire time, Alexis' eyes never left Jaden's face and his never dropped the indecision.

Thoughts were raging through Jaden's head. Not the normal heart vs. mind moment exactly. It was more the opposite. Jaden knew he loved Alexis, even someone like him couldn't deny that after his experience with Haou… but he wasn't sure at heart if he should act upon it.

_You know that you shouldn't,_ his heart told him.

I know… but I love her… and she loves me, I'd only be hurting her if I lied, he argued back.

_And you wouldn't hurt her the other way?_

I don't know what'll happen.

_Yes you do. You've known it all along. You just haven't told anyone else. _

I'll tell her… I have to.

_No you don't! Don't drag her into this if you really love her, you know she'll just get hurt! _

She'll understand why I can't be with her if I tell her…

_She'll still insist on being with you, you know that. _

Yeah, Jaden admitted. She can't help it though. That's just how Lex is.

**_Well then you have stubbornness in common._**That last comment was from Haou, and definitely didn't help at all. ****

_Oh, shut-up, _Jaden snapped, in agreement about that at least.

* * *

**Yes, I said Haou was still there! Yeah! **

**Soooo, Jaden still isn't himself! Poor Alexis! **

**Will Jaden tell Alexis his secret? Will they finally get together? Why am I asking you? **

**So sit back and wait for the next chapter, where things start going crazy for Jaden!**

**Wow, I sound like a news reporter...**


	5. The Old Argument

**DISCLAIMER: I DON'T OWN YUGIOH GX! **

**Wow, I'm updating these really fast. I'll probably be slowing down for awhile (which for me means a new chapter every day instead of every three hours) **J

**

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**Chapter 4**

And what happened next was school history. Alexis Rhodes and Jaden Yuki started going out. No one seemed to know exactly how it started, one day the pair had walked into class, holding hands, and the news spread like wildfire. At first, the Obelisk students weren't at all happy with their 'queens' decision. They gradually grew to accept the pair when they remembered that Jaden _was _the top duelist in school, even if his grades weren't. The school decided to 'watch and evaluate' for now.

The two people in question were down at the beach with Jesse, Jim, Syrus, and Hassleberry.

"So Jay," Syrus said, only his head visible seeing as Hassleberry had successfully buried him in the sand.

"Hmm?" Jaden answered. He was lying in the sand a few feet away with Alexis in his arms.

"What do you think about the senior trip to Nhime Village tomorrow?" Syrus asked. "It sounds like fun… but two days on the boat!? That's suicide."

Jaden laughed, "Sy, it'll be fun! Nhime Village's pretty… um… interesting." He sounded like he chose the last word very carefully. Alexis immediately picked that up.

"Have you been there?" she wondered, sitting up so that he had to squint in the sunlight to see her.

"Yeah, I've got two crazy cousins that live down there." He said this almost reluctantly. Once again, Alexis picked up his tone.

"Are they why it's so 'interesting'?" she smiled, knowing his answer.

_Not in the least, _Jaden thought. _It'll be interesting to see what happens when I get near there now with Haou…_ He had been thinking very carefully about his predicament with the King's spirit. After Alexis had unknowingly saved him, Haou had found himself unable to control Jaden in the least, so long as he was still in love with her anyway. He could, however, haunt Jaden with nightmares of his actions when he was sleeping, but that was the worst. Or it would be until they reached Nhime. He frowned vaguely as he remembered his first, and what he had half-hoped would be his last, visit to Nhime…

"Serge?" Hassleberry echoed from the water. "Whatsamatter?"

Jaden surface from the unpleasant memory to find Alexis staring at him avidly. He hadn't answered her question. "Nothing!" he called out to the waves. "Just thinking!"

"Like that'll ever happen," came a rude remark as Chazz walked down to the beach, and sat next to them. "Jaden Yuki thinking? That's as likely as a hippo learning ballet."

"Shut-up Chazz," Alexis answered before Jaden could retort.

Chazz looked as if he had been slapped. "C'mon Alexis, we all know he's not the brightest."

"And we all know that I still ended up with Alexis instead of you," Jaden finished, starting to get annoyed by Chazz. This was the fiftieth time today that he had pestered them like this! "So would you accept that already?"

Jaden saw Jesse raise his eyebrows in surprise, but it got the desired effect. Chazz shut up.

"So, like I was saying…"

"Oh," Jaden said, preoccupied. He chose to lie through his teeth. "Yeah, the two of them always make things pretty hectic down there."

He chatted with her about his crazy cousins until she was satisfied with his answer. Most of the stories being about Melody because he wasn't ready to talk about Nick yet… Last time they had spoken they had nearly blown the village off the face of the Earth… if it hadn't been for Melody…

**Flashback: (Jaden's POV) **

_Nick was inches away from my face, his eyes that violent shade of purple … I was standing in the middle of Melody's backyard, only seven years old, Nick was eight, Melody was five. Sparks were emitting from Nick's body, he had given into the power long ago. The sky turned dark as storm clouds appeared out of nowhere. Lightning flashed, raining fire from the churning sky. _

_I was half-conscious of Melody's screams, but it didn't matter to anymore. Nick was going to die. He had to. If I didn't… _

_"Why are you holding back Jay?" he taunted his voice low and deadly. He was trying to get me angry, trying to make me lose control completely. He was and idiot. "Are you afraid of what you are?" _

_I was. Mainly for the sake of others. If I lost control here, now, it would all be over. If I couldn't stop Nick… "Listen to me," my voice surprised me. It was so cold and harsh, so much worse than Nick's even though I was younger and in partial control. Melody's screeches came to a halt when I spoke. _

_"Let it go Nick," I warned him. "Fight it off before I have to kill you." Once again, I surprised myself. I hadn't realized just how deep my hatred went. _

_"You?! Kill me?!" Nick howled, his maniacal laughter carrying in the violent winds. "Just try." He raised his hands and an invisible force knocked me over. That was it. I lost control. _

_"Jaden, NO!" Melody screamed, running at me. I was charged with energy, so much _power_ that I craved for more… Then I felt as if I was falling… _

_Then next thing I knew I was standing near a crater in the yard, the sky turned to normal as I felt something on my arm. It was Melody. _

_I tried to talk to her, but everything was spinning. My head felt as if I had been hit by a truck as I watched her clinging onto my arm. I remembered collapsing… Nick was on his side staring at me in horror… _

Jaden suppressed that vivid memory with difficulty. It was one of his worst. He inwardly cringed when he remembered the look of pure terror on Nick's face…

He stroked Alexis's hair lightly, masking his struggle with the memory inside him.

They had to dig Syrus out after the sun started setting and Hassleberry dumped a huge bucket of water on Sy's head, successfully making him stick in the beach.

Jaden decided not to dwell on telling Alexis his secret until the last possible second, even though his conscious was screaming in protest. He had plenty of time… three days… He hoped that would be enough.

_No it won't. _

Shut-up.

"Jaden!" Jesse laughed.

"Huh?" he replied, coming out of his stupor. Then he felt something crawling up his back, something with sharp little legs and snapping claws. He screamed smacking the crab off his back with enthusiasm as it somehow managed to get a claw on his ear so that it was hanging there like an earring. "_Ouch! GETITOFF!"_ he yelled in quick succession that it was all one word.

Alexis was doubled over in laughter along with Jesse. Hearing Alexis made him feel guilty for a second, then the crab scuttled into his hair and he was running along the beach with Hassleberry chasing him, trying to get the stupid thing off.

In the forest next to them, a shaded figure watched the entire display with glowing green eyes. It smirked, making a sinister sound that stopped them all in their tracks. Jaden was deathly white as the crab fled into the ocean. The others had stopped laughing and were looking around, alarmed. Jaden watched all of this and it was like his brain had jammed. He couldn't think of anything other that _he wasn't supposed to be here yet!! He wasn't supposed to be here yet!! _

The sky turned dark. Jaden tensed, his entire body charged with fear. _He wasn't supposed to be here yet!! _He was sweeping the trees with his brown eyes, relying on Haou's night vision to spot it. His eyes picked up the figure and he sighed in relief, causing weird looks from his friends. _It wasn't him. Just some stupid messenger. Like he'd forget what he told him. _

**_And you very well may want to listen,_** Haou pointed out.

_Shut-up!_ Jaden spat.

"What in the name of Sam Hell is going on here?" Hassleberry demanded, in the general direction of Jaden. "Who turned out the lights?"

"_Darkness and Light will clash," _the messenger hissed so Jaden was the only one who could here. "_You have angered him, Yuki. You have chosen a different path, an unwise decision." _

"What's that whispering?" Jim quietly ventured, sightless eye turning in all directions.

_"Shut it," _Jaden hissed back. "_Tell him he can stuff his stupid path up his-!" _

_"_ENOUGH!" she shouted, causing everyone but Jaden to leap back. They turned wildly in whatever direction they thought the sound came from. Her voice dropped dangerously. "_You will regret this Jaden. He knew that you would react in this way… it's only fitting that he gave me more than just a message to give you." _

Her words made him incredibly nervous. "Gave you more-?" he murmured, realizing a split second before she raised her hand what was going to happen. "Shit!" he swore. "Get down!"

He heard his friend immediately dive down, alarmed that he had sworn, as a huge blast of light swept over them, passing harmlessly over their bodies and hitting the ocean instead. There was a loud hiss and they all turned, panic-stricken, to watch twenty feet of water evaporate instantly. If that would have touched them…

**_She did what she had to do. You're the one who is putting them in danger by remaining in this world instead of hers, _**Haou coldly answered.

_Oh yeah, and going into her world wouldn't destroy the rest of the world? Thanks for Evil 101 lessons, Haou, _Jaden sarcastically responded.

Jaden turned back to the messenger, livid, and she gave him a smile, revealing her pointed teeth. She stepped towards his friends with another ball of light as Jaden scooped up his duel disk in the sand and skidded in front of them all in one motion. He deployed the duel disk, blinking in the faint red light. The figure stepped forward again revealing her body in a black cloak and a large backpack on her back. She was showing her pointed teeth again in her sneer.

"So you want to play do you?" she sneered. A flash of red light and a duel disk appeared on her arm. Jaden almost collapsed with shock. The girl deployed the dark duel disk and the blades spun around violently before fitting into place. She had somehow received Haou's disk.

She was smiling haughtily at him, with a knowing look in her green eyes.

How does s_he_ know about _that_?!

His friends, who couldn't see at all, were fumbling around on the beach for their duel disks for some light. The girl watched them with her night eyes in a bored way. "I don't understand why you would protect them… They are so _human_."

"And I'm not?" Jaden flared. Haou smirked.

"You are… for now," she was smirking at him again.

"So are you," Jaden said this quietly so his friends couldn't hear. "He can't change that. No matter how twisted your mind and body are, you're still human. Why don't you understand that?"

She narrowed her eyes. "The old argument. I have no time for that. My orders are to give you his message. And to get rid of those ridiculous pets of yours."

"They're my friends!" Jaden shouted. "And I won't let you hurt them!"

"Very well, but if I win, then you will not stop me."

Jaden bit back his retort. "Fine. When I win, you'll leave us alone. And I mean all of us." He gestured towards the school. The messenger nodded.

"Understood, at least until the sun rises on a new day."

They drew their five cards and called, "Duel!"

* * *

**The duel will probably contain lots of mistakes; I don't know a lot of cards… so most of the messenger's cards will be made up. 'Kay?**

**Next time, Jaden duels against the messenger while Alexis starts to realize that something isn't right with Jaden. **

**Quotes for the next chapter:**

"_Even when he was dark, they had no idea how hard he was fighting to prevent Haou from… how bitterly he had fought over control... how Haou had felt the sinister presence in his mind and manipulated it enough to take over his body… but he did not allow Haou to go any farther…if they knew what he could… his secret…"_

**_"Take the boy…" _**


	6. Messenger

**DISCLAIMER: I DON'T OWN YUGIOH GX! **

**GAAH! DISCLAIMERS ARE ANNOYING! **

**Chapter 5 **

"I'll go first!" the messenger announced, drawing a card. She smirked and showed her sharp teeth again. "I'll play Shadow's Servant in defense mode (Atk: 800 Def: 1200) and I'll place one card face down. Your move."

"Shadow's Servant? I've never heard of that card before," Jim announced from the beach floor.

"That's because it comes from another, more powerful, world, human scum," she gave him a glare of pure hatred and then turned towards Jaden, waiting.

"Draw!" Jaden said, not in the mood for his normal banter. He drew Elemental Hero Clayman. He smiled as he looked at the other cards in his hand. "First I'll activate Pot of Greed and draw two cards!" Jaden looked intently at the new cards.

"Next, I'll play the spell card polymerization in order to fuse Clayman and Burstinatrix in my hand to form… Elemental Hero Rampart Blaster!" Jaden ordered.

Rampart Blaster appeared on the field in defense mode. She looked towards the messenger and aimed her blaster. (Atk: 2000, Def: 2500)

"She's got a sweet ability too; she can attack your life points directly as long as she gives up half of her attack points! (Atk: 1000) Show her Blaster!"

She launched her attack on the messenger, who was thrown back against a tree as a result of losing 1000 points. Jaden peered at her with dread. "Is this-?" he started.

She smiled sweetly at him. "Real. Not a shadow game. Just a real fight. But don't worry; people _hardly ever_ die during these matches." Her grin said the opposite.

Jaden grimaced and placed two cards face down.

Messenger: 3000

Jaden: 4000

She smiled as she drew her card. "I activate my face down, black veil, which allows me to destroy all monsters on the field and you take 200 points of damage for each. Also, it allows me to summon two shadow tokens for each monster destroyed."

The field was engulfed in an explosion that pushed Jaden back a few feet. His friends called out, alarmed for him. "I'm alright," he assured them, rubbing his throbbing chest as his life points went down to 3600.

"You won't be for long because now I can sacrifice my two tokens in order to bring out," she screeched with obvious glee, "Shadow Dragonling!"

The two shapeless shadows that had appeared on her field (Atk: 0 Def: 0) vanished and a woman with dragon-wings, a tail, and talons appeared on the field. She was jet black with wild red hair and eyes. Jaden shivered slightly as he sensed the darkness in that card. (Atk:? Def: 3000)

"If you were curious about her attack points, she receives 500 for each card in our graveyards. And I believe that's eight," the messenger snarled.

Shadow Dragonling's attack points increased to 4000. She was giving Jaden a searching look, and he knew why, but he didn't respond to her. He wouldn't let her see his dormant power.

**_It isn't exactly dormant anymore. I can feel it. It screams for release, can you not feel it? Or do you deny it? _**

_All I feel is an annoying evil spirit that won't shut-up. _

**_Jaden, your power will be released eventually. Whether or not it builds up from disuse, or you set it free. Either way, it will happen. That is reality in both of our worlds. _**

"I was disappointed; I thought you would've posed a better challenge. Now go! Shadow Dragonling! Attack him directly and end this!"

Jaden snapped back to the game immediately. "Not so fast, I activate my face down, Flute of Summoning Kuriboh!"-His furry brown monster appeared on the field- "And then I'll activate Transcendent Wing! By tossing out two cards, Winged Kuriboh becomes a level ten monster!"

A huge light engulfed the arena as Kuriboh blocked Shadow Dragonling's attack. "And then by sacrificing himself, your monster is destroyed and you lose life points equal to your destroyed monster's attack points!"

"What?! No?!" the messenger screamed as her monster exploded into a wall of fire and her life points drained down to zero. She stood her ground though, and Jaden was impressed with that much. _Thanks Kuriboh, _he thought softly. Kuriboh nodded before vanishing. The messenger was still screeching into the night. The sunlight finally burst through and temporarily blinded everyone. Alexis started to race towards Jaden, who waved at her cheerily to show he was alright.

"Master! Master! I am sorry! Forgive me!!" the messenger cried.

_Take the boy… _

Jaden froze half-way through his wave and the messenger cringed, being the only ones who could hear the cold, harsh, and cruel voice. She turned slowly to face him in a sinister way that made Alexis stop in her tracks with the sudden fear that radiated from the girl as black dragon-wings spread out from what they had assumed was a backpack. The girl had thick talons, like her card, but no tail. The next thing he knew, the girl had flapped her wings and grabbed him around the neck with her talons.

Jaden spluttered and coughed as she strangled him, finding a leathery wing that spread around him like a cocoon. He grabbed it and yanked it hard. The girl shrieked and released him, clutching her wing as if his touch had burned her. He tumbled the sand, coughing still as Alexis stood in front of him protectively, as the dragon girl was livid. She flew into the air and looped back down faster than the human eye could see and lifted Jaden from behind Alexis.

He was torn from the ground by the force and stolen into the air because of the girl's grip on him. "Yubel!" Jaden choked out, refusing to allow his power to break free. His spirit appeared in solid form next to them and slashed his enemy's wings. The girl dropped him and Yubel caught him, trying to lower him safely to the ground, but the girl was in hot pursuit. "Neos!"

His alien friend burst from his deck in a blast of light and sent a beam of energy at the dragon girl. She spun out of the way and dragged Neos down with her, crashing him into the sand below. Yubel was unable to defend herself while carrying Jaden, so she set him down on the beach and used her supernatural powers to create a shield around them. The dragon girl crashed into the shield and was thrown back, where Neos rammed into her and sent the demon flying away into the waves, screeching.

Yubel lowered her shield, but did not vanish, keeping a wary eye on the sea. Neos did likewise, worried about the creatures return. "Jaden?" Hassleberry called, walking up to him and eyeing the monsters nervously. "Why are they real?"

Jaden caught his breath after a second. "I dunno. After we came back… they could appear real when they were near me."

They accepted that they had all seen weirder things happen around Jaden before. Boy, were they in for a surprise.

"Are you alright?" that was Alexis, helping him to his feet.

"Yeah," he sighed, rubbing his bruised shoulder. But he wasn't. "I've been through worse." That could have been _a lot _worse. Compared to what's coming, that was just a friendly tea-party.

Alexis frowned, showing her uncanny ability to read him like a book. "Are you sure?"

"Jaden." That was Jim, pulling Syrus completely out of the sand. "That thing—why did it have Haou's duel disk?"

He could answer that question honestly. "I have no clue. It freaked me out a bit," he admitted.

Syrus was looking at his friend carefully. Jaden imagined him briefly in the cloak that he had worn in the other world, but then repressed the memory.

"Jay," he said slowly. "How could you see her?"

Jaden froze. He looked at Syrus in what he hoped was an innocent face, cursing that his friend was so observant now. He cast around for an answer that wouldn't mention Haou or his secret, but found none. Everyone was looking at him now. He opened his mouth to answer, sighed instead, and answered them with a partial truth, "I saw someone in the trees before everything went dark. She was pretty close to me. I figured that someone who made that weird noise couldn't be good… so when I saw that light thing… I assumed it was a weapon. The light illuminated my duel disk and after that I could see enough with the red light." His voice was steady. He was a well practiced liar.

His answer made sense, and his friends accepted it grudgingly, but his girlfriend didn't. She grabbed his arm as they all started to walk away and held him back. She waited until the others were out of earshot and then she forced him to sit in the sand with her. When he refused to make eye-contact, she gently moved his chin with her hand until their eyes met.

"Tell me what just happened. And no more lies," she firmly commanded.

****

He was the biggest-effing-liar in the worlds. What had possessed him to blame this all on that pathetic spirit Haou?! Did he really expect her to believe that he was **that** weak?!?!!? _Why the hell couldn't he tell her the truth?!!?_ _WHY HAD HE SAID HAOU?! _

He had been ready to tell her the _real_ truth when she asked, but out of his mouth came yet another lie. A perfect lie. All of the pieces had fit, _but he had wanted to tell her!!_ He had said the servant was Haou's. He told her about Haou's presence in his mind still. It fit. The Dragon girl told them her deck came from another world. So did Haou. The Dragon girl looked like a Dark-World monster. Haou came from the Dark-World. The darkness that had overcome them wasn't unlike the one Haou cast over the other world.

_Why the hell did he have to be such a good liar! If she had known… just the tiniest thing about him… she wouldn't have believed the words that had tumbled out of his mouth. He had said that he was fighting for control with darkness. Darkness couldn't overtake him if he didn't allow it. Even when he was dark, they had no idea how hard he was fighting to prevent Haou from… how bitterly he had fought over control... how Haou had felt the sinister presence in his mind and manipulated it enough to take over his body… but he did not allow Haou to go any farther…if they knew what he could… his secret… she wouldn't have believed him. She wouldn't be in and danger and ignorant. She would know… _

**

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**Quotes!**

"Tell us what is going on and don't _say that you don't know because I can tell, Jaden Yuki, that you do know and you—will—tell—us!"_

The messenger hadn't returned and he was starting to get an uneasy feeling… Jaden didn't believe that _he_ would give up that easily…


	7. Here we go again, or not?

**Hey readers, I just realized I won't be here over the weekend, so I'll post these next two chapters now instead. **

**DISCLAIMER: I DON'T OWN YUGIOH GX!! **

**I LOVE HAOU!! **

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**Chapter 6**

Alexis was wandering blindly back to her dorm.

_Jaden was still fighting Haou… _

She fumbled around with that thought in her mind, confused. It all fit from what she knew about Haou, which wasn't a lot. Jaden never really talked about their experience in the Dark World.

_I should talk to Jim and Axel. Maybe even Syrus. I don't think Jaden will like it that I told them, but he has to trust us. We can help him,_ she thought avidly. Then a horrible reality occurred to her. _What if he's still lying? He understands now that we are only here to help him, and that he can trust us. So why wouldn't he tell us about this? Something that could lead us all into danger? He's still lying! He has to be! _

She whirled around, rushing back to the beach and hoping that he was still there. He wasn't. She ran through the forest and into the Slifer dorm. A very shocked Syrus told her that they thought he was still with her and asked why she needed him. She told them and watched his eyes expand with shock. Hassleberry and Jesse jumped out of their chairs and agreed to go searching for him.

Alexis was with Jesse, searching in the forest as Syrus and Hassleberry combed that campus. She pushed vines blindly aside and called her lungs out. "JADEN!! JADEN!!"

"Jay! JADEN!" Jesse called beside her, looking around through the brush. "What?"

He stopped suddenly and looked at his shoulder. Alexis glanced back at him, confused. "He's where?" Jesse was saying, looking as if he was talking to his shoulder. "Show us Ruby!"

He took off running and Alexis decided she should follow, finally getting that that was his spirit friend, like Jaden's Kuriboh. They burst out into a clearing where a very surprised looking Jaden greeted them.

"Where's the fire?" he supplied weakly. He sounded angry.

Alexis charged right into him and knocked him over. She was on top of him, inches from his face so that he couldn't look away. "What are you doing?!" he demanded, completely nonplussed.

"Why did you lie?!" she responded, staring at him with what she hoped was an angry face. He froze with a look of mixed admirance and annoyance.

"What are you talking about?" As soon as he said that, Alexis saw him seem to get angry at himself. But why?

"You _lied!_ I figured that much out! I was stunned when you told me, which is what made me believe you!"-A bemused expression crossed his face-"But now I realize that through all of this, you've made one thing clear!"

Jaden was curious in spite of himself. "What's that?"

"That you can trust us! You told me that day when we got together! You said that when I admitted I was worried about you! You told me that 'If Haou ever somehow slinks his way back into my mind, this time I've got friends who can help me.' You are lying about Haou! Tell me the truth! If you really love me as much as you say you do, you'll tell me!"

Jesse was hovering uncertainly at the edge of the clearing, almost as stunned as Jaden.

"Alexis-I…" Jaden started, looking slightly hurt now. "I…" -he took a deep breath.

_BRIIIIINNNNNG!_ Alexis flew off of Jaden, startled by the loud noises that came from hers, Jesse's, and Jaden's pockets. They all simultaneously picked up their PDA's and turned them on. Chancellor Sheppard's face appeared on the screens, saying the exact same thing so that it echoed off of the forest's trees. "I need you students again. This is an emergency. Come as soon as you receive this message. The fate of our school may depend on it." His face was very grave before the message ended. They glanced at each other and then started sprinting towards the school, barely noticing anything else.

They stumbled into Sheppard's office and saw everyone else waiting for them: Aster, Jim, Axel, Syrus, Hassleberry, Chazz, Bastion, Atticus, and even Zane. Syrus and Hassleberry made movements that obviously meant they wanted to talk to Jaden, but he ignored them, glancing towards the Chancellor again, his face emotionless. Sheppard gazed into the panting student's faces until he sighed heavily and spoke to them.

"You students have always been there when the school, or even the world, was in danger. You helped defeat many foes and saved many lives."-His eyes were lingering slightly on Jaden, who held the gaze steadily-"And I'm afraid that once again, the school is being threatened."

The students and pros were silent, waiting for him to continue. "As you probably know, just before twilight today, a blanket of darkness spread over the island-!"

"Yeah!" Syrus put in. "We were there! We saw who caused it and Jaden dueled it!"

Sheppard looked at Jaden curiously. "Is there anything strange about that person?"

"Yep," Jaden answered. "She was half-dragon! She had huge black wings and talons and tried to strangle me after I beat her. Her deck comes from another world, she told us. And she has a really dangerous light thing that-."

"Almost killed us," Alexis finished, glaring at Jaden again. Sheppard looked confused, but he continued nonetheless.

"They left a message," he whispered, pointing at the doors behind them. They turned and gasped. There, written on the door in shadowy handwriting read,

_The time of the Shadows is coming. Everyone shall be lost, all of them. _

_Unless he comes back to Evermore to fly. _

They all looked confused now. Well, everyone except for Jaden, who paled considerably. Alexis caught that slight sign and grabbed him by the jacket. Although he was now a few inches taller than her, it still had a desired affect. Jaden looked slightly spooked and Atticus _bravely,_ took ten steps back. Zane and Aster observed them carefully as Alexis pulled Jaden closer to her, yelling right into his face.

"WHAT DOES THIS MEAN?!"

Jaden glared at her and opened his mouth to retort, but Alexis released him and slapped him across the face. The gang and Sheppard stared at her. Jaden raised his hand to his stinging red cheek, glaring at Alexis coldly.

"What was that for?!?!!" he roared. Everyone else flinched. They hadn't ever seen Jaden angry without…err… being possessed by Haou. The air seemed charged with an undeniable power. Alexis ignored that.

"Tell us what is going on and don't _say that you don't know because I can tell, Jaden Yuki, that you do know and you—will—tell—us!" _she hollered. They were in each other's faces now, glaring with passion. Jaden was absolutely terrifying. Alexis was his match on that level too. It was so bad, even Zane let fear appear on his face. The couple glared at each other for what felt like an eternity.

Chancellor Sheppard cleared his throat and continued, "Hem-hem, well… the reason that I called you up is because Crowler and Bonaparte have disappeared. They've been gone for two days now."

Jesse looked skeptical. "Are you sure? Couldn't they just be off getting into trouble or arguing like they usually do?"

Jim nodded, adding, "The last time we did see them, me and Karen that is, they were fighting over something again."

Chancellor Sheppard shook his head sadly. "I thought that was it too. Then I realized that Blair and Marcel are also missing. Students and teachers going missing at the same time are overwhelming evidence that whoever left that message is serious." He paused to look at Alexis and Jaden, who turned away from each other in a huff and glared at opposite walls, seeming to be determined to melt holes into them with their gazes.

"So I'm loading all of the seniors onto the boat tonight to leave for Nhime Village, to reduce the targets. If we put all of the students on, the boat would become a target and a boat is easier to sink than an entire island. I'm hoping that by splitting the student body, we will cause confusion among our enemies and slow them down until they can be identified. I need all of your help to supervise this and help protect the students as the board the ship. Will you help me?"

They all nodded.

_It won't work though, _Jaden sadly thought.

He and Alexis dropped the poison in their glares and Alexis moved closer to him and Jaden took her hand, confusing everyone.

"You two are a dramatic couple," commented Aster. "One second you're ready to kill each other and the next you're holding hands."

Jaden smiled wryly, but it was forced. Alexis ignored that and asked, "What do we have to do?"

"The students have already been rounded up in the school," Chancellor Sheppard answered. "So all you have to do is escort them there with help from the staff. I assumed that since this creature dueled you Jaden, that they will approach us by dueling as well. And you are all the top duelists in this school."

He stood up and escorted them to the students and then to the docks. Jaden kept a wary eye on the night sky, Haou's vision giving him an advantage. The messenger hadn't returned and he was starting to get an uneasy feeling… Jaden didn't believe that _he_ would give up that easily…

They departed without any incidents and nothing happened even as the sun rose the next morning. Jaden was leaning over the railing, watching it, when Alexis tried to talk to him again. She walked over to him and leaned against the railing next to him, watching his hair swaying softly in the light breeze.

"Jaden…" she started. "I'm sorry for hitting you yesterday. I was frustrated."

He gave her his typical goofy grin. "Frustrated? I think livid is a better word."

She smiled as he wrapped his arm around her and held her close. He was stroking her hair absently, still gazing out into the ocean with a thoughtful expression on his face. She sighed out of pleasure and aggravation. Jaden caught that notion, showing that he could read her as well as she could him.

"Are you still angry?" he whispered, looking into her eyes. Alexis glanced back into his, which were reflecting the ocean and found she couldn't lie to him.

"Yes," she answered quietly. "I want to know what's going on with you."

He frowned slightly, but answered her anyway. "Lex, you were right-I do know something about that thing that attacked us today."

She looked up expectantly. "Well? Are you going to tell me?"

He gave a heavy sigh. "Yeah, I've actually been trying to tell you ever since that party… but I just can't seem to say it… I've kept this a secret for so long…" Alexis squeezed his hand encouragingly. "It all started back when I was little…"

"JADEN YUKI!"

Jaden leapt up, making Alexis almost topple over. They scanned the dawn sky and saw her, her black wings spread wide and in a steep dive towards them. She looked like she was ready to kill. Her wild hair was streaming behind her like fire and her talons were glistening in the faint light. Jaden dove to one side, pulling Alexis with him, as the dragon-girl swept harmlessly above them. Instead of slashing the humans, she destroyed the railing and sent part of the deck toppling into the calm waters below.

"Oh shi-!" started Jaden.

"Tell me!" screeched the deranged dragon. "Where do your allegiances lie? Will you come quietly or do I have to take you by force!?!"

She sent another blast of light towards them that nearly hit Jaden. He was preparing himself to fight when he heard a horrific voice from behind him. "GET AWAY FROM MY BOYFRIEND YOU BITCH!"

They both turned back just in time to see Alexis tackle the dragon-girl, aiming for her wings like Jaden and Yubel had done. The girl stumbled back, screaming, as students came out of their rooms, alarmed. Alexis deployed her duel disk in a threatening way, and their enemy fled away, or so they thought. She flipped in midair and sent a blast of light at the boat below Alexis and Jaden. It hit with an explosive impact and they were thrown from the yacht and into the waters below.

They were falling. It seemed to take an eternity to hit the water below and for a frightening second, Jaden couldn't tell which way was up. Something brushed against his hand, it was Alexis's hand. Only her hazel eyes were clear in the dark water. He found comfort in her eyes and he kicked for the surface.

However, just above them, the water flew away and there was a bright light followed by a sensation of nothingness and then he was breathing in water, choking on it, his lungs demanded air but he never lost sight of Alexis's suddenly blank eyes. She was staring below them, transfixed with something. Jaden chanced a quick glance before he broke the surface, and his heart almost stopped. Below them swam two mermaids and a merman.

_Oh crap why are they here too? _

The humans broke the surface mouth first, gasping for precious air before being dragged back under by the merpeople. "Jaden Yuki," the leader, Adria, told him firmly. "Now is the time for you to choose. And you have to do so without your heart. We need your anger to win, not your concern. I am sorry for what is about to happen to her." She pointed a strange scepter at Alexis, who disappeared in a flash of green light.

"Whhhat id u o do er?!!(What did you do to her?!!)" Jaden screamed underwater, inhaling a great deal again. He flailed until he was out of their grasp and floated just below the surface, torn between his desire for air and for information.

The youngest of them all, Atrus, swam next to Jaden, pushing him above the water and saying, "She has become one of us now. You can have her back if you can defeat me in a duel. If you lose, you'll become a merman."

"Bastard," Jaden choked out at the surface. Then he felt Haou still in the back of his mind, sensing Jaden's anger, and he tried to master himself. He took a deep breath and continued, "What happened to you, Atrus? What happened to all of you? Taking an innocent person to try and get me on your side? You used to be a good person."

The 16 year-old shrugged. "She wasn't going to by a bystander if the messenger hadn't have interrupted you. We're at war Jaden. And if you're not with us, you're against us."

The youth deployed a golden duel disk with strange symbols on it, giving his blue tail a few lazy kicks to distance himself from Jaden. "Do you accept the terms?"

Jaden glared at the merman that used to be his friend. "Duel," they simultaneously called.

**

* * *

**

**I know it's getting confusing, but I can't give away any spoilers…. Except these**

**Quotes: **

**_'This is what dueling is about, Jaden, _**supplied Haou's spirit. **_Use your anger and rage against their betrayal to fuel your energy in this duel. Or better yet, join the messenger to betray them. She won't hurt you and you already know that you will be accepted as a god. I can see it here, I am you after all…'_**

**'**"Fine!" Atrus drew a card and frowned, glancing at Jaden with a guilty expression. "Now I activate the spell card, Unforgiving Betrayal."

Jaden's heart seemed to stop. "No."**' **


	8. Jaden's Flip Side

**DISCLAIMER: I DON'T OWN YUGIOH GX!!**

**I DO OWN MY CHARACTERS: LIZ, ADRIA, ATRUS, AND THE MESSENGER THOUGH!**

**Chapter 7 **

Jaden drew a card first. "I play elemental hero Clayman (Atk: 800, Def: 2000) in defense mode. Then I'll throw down one face down."

"My turn, draw!" Atrus announced. He smirked at the card in his hand. You'll remember this card from when we were little! The last time you visited! I play the field spell Underwater Castle!"

Jaden was suddenly underwater again, only this time he could breathe. He was floating in front of a huge marble castle that glowed slightly.

"In case you don't remember its affect, I can summon two monsters with merman or mermaid in their name in attack mode under level 5 by paying 500 life points!" His life points dropped to 3500. "So now I summon from my hand, Mermaid and Merman of the Blue-Sea in attack mode. (Both- Atk: 1400 Def: 700). And when they are both on the field at the same time, they can attack you directly if I pay another 500 life points! SO go, attack Jaden with water torrent and spear strike!"

Jaden braced himself as a jet of spiraling water and a golden spear struck him, pushing him back a few feet.

"Jaden!" someone called from on the boat above him. "What's going on?"

"I'm dueling this jerk to save Alexis!" he shouted back. Somewhere in his mind he heard Haou chuckle. Which made him feel _very, incredibly, extremely _nervous! Especially after he had been thinking about something Bastion told him in the Dark World this morning…

**_(Flashback) _**

_He was in the place where Alexis, Chazz, Hassleberry, and Atticus had been sacrificed. He had just defeated Baou. _

_"Huhuhu... Really, even if you are a weed, your true nature is Haou," Baou chuckled before dying. Then he turned into particles of light and vanished. _

_"Jaden," Bastion said. Jaden turned to face his friends. _

_"Bastion, Tanya. You're all right!" Jaden replied. _

_  
"Yeah, that place where we were… is protected by our companions now," Tanya injected. She didn't look exactly thrilled with Jaden. _

_  
"Is that so?" Jaden wondered. _

_  
"But, that's just for the moment. This world is changing by a great force. If we don't take the real enemy down, the end of this world will come," Bastion gravely said. _

_  
"Tell me Bastion, what is real enemy?! What should I do?" Jaden exclaimed. _

_  
Bastion kneeled onto the ground and showed 12 different rocks."There are several things I figured out after I came to this dimension. This world is divided with 12 dimensions. The one with an evil mind is trying to bring all the dimensions into one and rule them all at once." He moved all of the stones so they were bunched together. "Yes. We were forced to intertwine with this dimension. The one who wants to rule all 12 dimensions is..." _

_  
"The real enemy?" Jaden supplied. _

_  
"Probably, he, aiming at you, once used Viper to take over the Academy. Sending Duel Academy to another dimension, using Marcel's body, and up till now, he woke the Haou inside you up, and tried to rule 12 dimensions," Bastion hinted. _

_  
"So it's Yubel!" Jaden said, facing down. _

_  
"It's not your fault, Jaden," Bastion replied in response to his narrowed eyes. _

_  
"No," Jaden corrected. "I made Yubel what she is." Jaden turned away and closed his eyes like it hurt him to admit this. _

_  
"It's a demon. Wake up, Jaden! All the things that happened up till now is not your fault! But the one who has power to clear this all up is you, you because you have special powers!" _

_  
"I don't have that kind of special power," Jaden said, facing up again. Then he turned away. My kind of power only destroys. You don't know half the story Bastion. Of course, he was thinking of Atrus, Liz, and Adria. _

_"Yubel knew you had special power. He tried to take it by waking Haou inside you up," Tanya told him sternly. _

_  
"Haou... Haou must have disappeared. That power has become..." Jaden avoided their gazes again. _

_  
"No, you and Haou are just sides of a person. Everyone has evil and heroic side," Bastion demanded. Jaden turned away. There's no way that Haou… could Haou really be his flip side? The side of him that already killed? The side of him that destroyed those guards… no! That's not true! I didn't let that power out! I can remember what happened when I was Haou!! I can't remember what happened when I was little! Haou can't be my flip side… he can't be my demon! I wouldn't… I couldn't… _

_  
"But..." Jaden said weakly instead of telling Bastion and Tanya his secret. He turned away from them. Bastion grabbed his arm and pulled him closer forcibly. _

_  
"Stop it, will you! Justice without power cannot rescue anyone in first place! Controlling your powerful Haou side is the way we can make justice come true! This is no time to be scared of your own power! The real enemy that no one else can face! The one who can bring Yubel down is you, Jaden," he yelled. _

_(Author's note: I'm note sure what Jaden, Tanya, and Bastion say here so I'll just wing it) _

_"Me? I can't bring down evil like that, I don't have that kind of power. Stop it!" Jaden cried out, starting to become overwhelmed with the terror running through his mind. He turned away, closing his eyes quickly. _

_"You are the only one who can! You have to face your other side to save everyone in this world! What happened to you? Why won't you help us?!" Bastion cried. _

_Jaden opened his eyes. Why won't I help? _

_"You have to help us, without you this world will be destroyed, we all will!" Tanya angrily spat. _

_Bastion let go of his arm when Jaden acknowledged what she was saying. _

_"You're the only one who can save us, and you're saying you won't help? You have to face Yubel, please Jaden!" Bastion said. _

_Jaden looked down as Kuriboh appeared beside him. He's right; I have to help them… but… if Haou really is my flip side… I don't know if I can control that. I could only prevent him from using my secret before… How can Haou be the other part of me? _

_  
"Jaden Yuki and Haou. When the two minds have fused into each other that will become the real Jaden," Syrus whispered wisely. _

**_(End flashback) _**

Jaden: 1200

Atrus: 3000

He couldn't let Haou take control! Not if he truly was the other part of him! Jaden turned his focus back on the duel. "You forgot to mention that you can't play any spell or traps when you have your castle on your side Atrus," he added to the merman.

"So?"

"So you can't stop this next move, my turn!" Jaden didn't even bother to look at his card, he knew what it was. "I summon Elemental Hero Neocroshade, but he won't be around for long, because now I'll sacrifice him and Clayman to summon Elemental Hero Neos in attack mode! (Atk: 2500 Def: 2000-I think?) And since I just discarded Neocroshade, his affect takes place. Now I can summon a monster without any sacrifices, so come on out Blade-Edge! (Atk: 2600)"

Atrus shivered as Jaden's monsters appeared on the field. Then he looked at Jaden appraisingly. "You've grown since we last met. Now I see why _he's_ fighting so hard to get to you."

"Do you know this guy Jaden?" Jesse called from the boat.

Jaden bit his lip. "I'm not done yet! I activate the field spell card neospace!"-Underwater Castle was destroyed and Neospace appeared-"Now Neos gets a 500 point boost! (Atk: 3000) Anyway, now I'll attack your monsters! Go Neos, Blade-edge!"

His monster flew towards the two merpeople and destroyed them effortlessly.

Atrus: 200

Jaden: 1200

**_This is what dueling is about, Jaden, _**supplied Haou's spirit. **_Use your anger and rage against their betrayal to fuel your energy in this duel. Or better yet, join the messenger to betray them. She won't hurt you and you already know that you will be accepted as a god. I am you after all…_**

As if the merman had heard Haou's latest Evil 101 class, Atrus grimaced at his old friend sadly. "Won't you just come quietly? Why won't you join us Jaden? Can't you, of all people, understand why _they_ need to be destroyed?"

"You're no better," Jaden hissed. "You're hurting people Atrus. All of it is pointless and now you're taking an innocent bystander and dragging her into this?" Haou smirked in Jaden's mind.

_But that doesn't mean I'll join them and let you go crazy with my secret, _Jaden scolded Haou. Haou chuckled again.

**_We are not so different, Jaden. We both are powerful and others follow us. We just use our power for different reasons. You waste it on others when you know that they will all die soon anyway. I use it to get ahead. Then perhaps we could change what will happen to your friends and your 'angel'. _**

_I don't believe in destiny Haou. I don't believe that that will happen for sure, _Jaden replied coldly.

**_You can't fool your own mind Jaden. You are unsure about what fate brings you, which is why you choose not to believe in what is set in stone,_**Haou lectured.

_The future's not set in stone! _

**_Who's talking about the future? I was talking about your past, my other half. _**

_Shut-up,_ Jaden snapped, irritated. _But Haou was his other half… unless he was just trying to mess with Jaden. _

Atrus looked towards Adria for support. She shrugged and turned towards Jaden with cool indifference. "We shouldn't have saved you that day. We should have kept you with us instead of letting you get away and be tainted by your human emotions."

The last mermaid was looking at him with her deep purple eyes sadly. She hid her face with her hands suddenly and cried out, "Why did you chose her over us?! You did it when you were little, that ridiculous person you called 'mom' and now with this girl! What does she have that we don't?!"

"How about a heart," he snapped, glaring at her. "You are as bad as _them_, Liz. You, Atrus, Adria and everyone else are just like _them._ I saw that and I thought you three realized that too. I guess I was wrong."

He folded his arms across his chest in a cold way, ignoring the confusion of his friends above him. Liz was about to cry. "You were like a little sister to me Liz," Jaden said in a more gentle voice. "It's not that I don't care about you guys, it's just that… I don't believe in what you want me to do. I don't belong here or _there. _I belong in the human world, in _my_ world."

"You belong with your angel," Adria quietly input in a knowing voice. "Serena told us the legends. So we took your angel and now you'll be joining her when you lose. You'll be one of us and this time, there's nothing you can do to change it."

"Almost nothing."

They all looked up at the messenger who they had recently forgotten. Liz hissed at the creature. "Scum of the sky! You have no business here! Jaden is ours!"

"He is as much yours as he is mine, seaweed-brain," the girl answered sharply. "He's fair game."

"Hel-lo. I'm right here," Jaden said, annoyed and in no mood for them to burst out his secret to the passengers on the boat. "Are we dueling or do you surrender?"

"Forget do or die," Atrus answered, quoting something Jaden had once told him. "I'll never swim or fly."

Now everyone but the duelists... was completely lost. "There's still hope then," Jaden finished with Atrus's quote when they were young. "If you're not giving up, then draw!"

"Fine!" Atrus drew a card and frowned, glancing at Jaden with a guilty expression. "Now I activate the spell card, Unforgiving Betrayal."

Jaden's heart seemed to stop. "No."

Atrus turned his guilty face away. "So now… I can take one changed soul and play it once, and only once in a lifetime. I chose… our last hope... The Guardian's Angel, Mermaid Princess Alexis."

Alexis materialized on the field. She had a long, blue and green tail with a white fin and blue tips. Her hair was down and flowed around her. She was wearing a little-mermaid style top (White and green sea-shells). She had a necklace of pearls around her and was more confused than the people on the boat. Her hazel eyes locked on Jaden's horrified ones.

(Atk: 2900 Def: 2700)

"Whenever a soul is summoned in this manner… her ability activates. She can destroy all other monster cards on the field." Neos and Blade disappeared in shards of light. "But you get to draw one card. So now, attack Jaden directly!"

Jaden recovered from his shock and played his face-down as Alexis struggled to refrain from attacking him. "I activate negate attack! So now your attack is cancelled."

Alexis sighed in relief while glaring at Atrus violently. "Come on Jaden! Beat him!"

He smiled at his fiancé (yes he knew what it was) lovingly. He attempted to bow in the water and failed. So he settled with a salute. "Yes, milady," he teased, he was still Jaden after all.

"I'll play one card face-down and end my turn," Atrus sulked. "But don't forget what happens to Alexis if you destroy her in battle."

Jaden's playful smirk vanished.

"What happens?" Jim asked Jaden from the boat.

"She dies," Atrus answered quietly.

**_Well this way would be less painful, _**Haou input.

_I thought I told you to shut-up! _

"My turn, draw!" Jaden said. He drew Pot of Greed. His other two cards were Wild Heart and Winged Kuriboh. "I activate Pot of Greed, so now I can draw two more cards!"

He drew polymerization and Cyclone Boomerang. He glanced at his cards and received a shock. Polymerization was rapidly switching between normal and then Dark Fusion. Jaden almost dropped the card, but composed himself when he saw that he didn't need to use it.

"Sweetness! First off, I summon Elemental Hero Wild Heart in attack mode (Atk: 1500)! Then I'll equip him with Cyclone Boomerang so his attack points increase by 500 (Atk: 2000)! Now go, attack Alexis!"

Alexis: 2900

Wild Heart: 2000

"She has more attack points! Why are you attacking her?!" Liz shouted, concerned.

Sure enough, Wild Heart was easily destroyed, but Alexis was smiling.

Jaden: 300

Atrus: 200

She answered for Jaden this time. She said, "Because when Cyclone Boomerang is sent to the graveyard, all trap and spell cards are destroyed and you take 500 points of damage for each of them."

"What?!" all of the merpeople shouted. Atrus's life points drained to zero and all of the monsters disappeared. Alexis collapsed and Jaden watched as she turned back to normal, rushing to her side, worried out of his mind. Summoning _anyone_ like that normally really hurt that person.

"Alexis? Alexis!" he shouted, swimming with her back towards the boat. He steadied himself on the rungs of the ladder that they dropped down and hoisted her over his back. He started his slow ascent upward and was conscious of the merpeople's and the dragon-girl's stares. His friends helped him up the last few steps, which he was grateful for.

"We have… to get her… to Ayukawa," Jaden panted, finally feeling the effects of falling in the ocean and fighting in a water duel. He was shivering terribly and imagined that he looked terrible, but he didn't care. Alexis needed help right now. "That… card… has bad… side affects."

His knees buckled and he was on all fours, breathing hard. His friends were surprised and he felt Jim and Axel pull him to his feet. Zane and Jesse were supporting Alexis. Darkness was creeping in on the edge of his vision, he knew he was about to pass out. Hopefully Ayukawa would say that it was because he had been in the freezing water for half an hour. If not... well he'd have to invent another lie to avoid telling the truth. Now he realized that they would be in even more danger if he told his friends his secret.

_"She wasn't going to be a bystander if the messenger hadn't have interrupted you. We're at war Jaden. And if you're not with us, you're against us." _Atrus had said.

**_So you should stop fighting against it and listen to them. (_**Once again, helpful tidbits on how to become evil by Haou Jaden chose not to respond this time. _Maybe he's right. _

Jaden had almost pulled her into all of this. And just because he _almost_ told her, she had been targeted to get to him! Jaden turned his exhausted eyes back towards the sea. Adria and Liz were pulling Atrus, who had already lost consciousness, back underwater. They sensed him watching and Liz started crying before disappearing below the waves. The messenger also saw that Jaden couldn't be attacked at the moment, so she extended her bat-like wings and floated away.

Jaden then focused on Alexis's angelic face. He watched with his fading eyesight her wet golden hair sway across her face and over her shoulders. Her brow furrowed as if she felt him staring at her or Fubuki had just said something stupid. He smiled before his world went black.

**No quotes for the next chapter this time! **

**Oooooo! Haou's Jaden's Dark Side! Not a separate being! Yay! Haou forever**


	9. Dreaming Daze

**DISCLAIMER: I DON'T OWN YUGIOH GX!**

**I DO OWN THE CHARACTERS:**

**JADEN'S MOM, MAXINE, PATRICK, LIZ, ATRUS, ADRIA, MICHAEL, SERENA, STEPHAN, AND ANGELA.**

**Chapter 8**

**_Jaden's POV_**

_I was leaning on the railing overlooking the ocean on Nhime Village. My mom was smiling next to me, telling me why the whirlpool below us was there. She laughed when she saw I wasn't paying attention and decided to point out different shapes in the water instead. This time I paid attention._

_"Look Jay! There's a heart! And there's a dragon!" she cooed, still laughing._

_I focused on the dark swirling waters and saw a shape too. This one was pretty cool. "It's a mermaid!" I called, pointing at the water. Mom smiled and nodded her head._

_"And there's her castle!" Mom exclaimed, pointing to the sun's reflection. "Glittering and shimmering Atlantis!"_

_Something gave an ominous creek. We ignored it, thinking it was one of the cars on the street behind us. I focused on the mermaid shadow in the water. I could almost make out her tail and everything! Then a pale face peered up out of the water. I leaned over the railing, stunned. "Mommy! Look! It is a mermaid!"_

_My mother frowned and said, "Jaden Yuki, don't lean on the railing like that."_

_"But look, mommy! She's really there!" I bubbled, jumping up and down. The railing gave way with a final 'snap!' and I was suddenly tumbling into the whirlpool. _

_"JADEN!!" I heard my mom scream before I plummeted under the water. _

_I was being helplessly buffeted through the water, spinning around and thrown against what seemed like every single rock in the ocean. I was running out of breath, I couldn't find the surface. All there was were water and confusion. I suddenly felt bad for my mom as my lungs screamed for air. I would be the second person that she lost… Then my legs suddenly felt like they were on fire and a proper scream came pouring out of my mouth. There was a flash of something red-gold behind me and a green tail in front of me and then I passed out._

_There were voices all around me. None of them which I recognized. I remembered something about falling…_

_"Uh…" I moaned as I woke up. The voices stopped. I cracked open my brown eyes tentatively and took in how blue everything was. Standing… er… swimming in front of me were nine merpeople: Six adults and three kids. I looked down at my own legs and found instead a red tail with white fins and golden tips. Whenever I moved it my red scales shimmered gold and white. I felt the gills on my neck with my hands while gaping at the people in front of me. _

_The adults all had green tails with yellow fins while the kids had blue tails with white fins. They all fixed their stares on me, and I felt nervous. "Umm… Hi?" I said._

_The smallest one, a boy, smiled at me. He had short black hair and piercing green eyes. "Hi-ya!" he chirped before the adults could respond. "My name's Atrus! What's yours? Why do you have a tail if you're human? We all saw you up on that cliff!"_

_I was taken aback, but none of the others input anything else. "I'm… Jaden," I offered, remembering vaguely that mom told me never to talk to strangers. Did she mean merpeople too? Oh well. "And, erm, I don't know how I ended up here. What's going on?"_

_The adults were suddenly interested in me. "What's your surname Jaden?" a lady with long purple hair asked._

_"Huh?" I answered. "What's my what?"_

_She smiled at me politely. "Sorry sweety. I mean your last name. Like my name is, Serena Delane."_

_"Oh," I said nervously. "Why didn't ya say so? My name's Jaden Yuki."_

_There were collective gasps and exclamations among the adults. The kids looked up at their parents curiously. The smaller girl looked back at me before floating over cautiously._

_"Hi Jay-den," she whispered slowly. "I'm Liz Delane. Serena's my mommy. And that's my daddy!" She pointed to her father, the tallest of them all, who had red eyes and blonde hair._

_The man nodded at me. "Hello, little one. My name is Michael Delane. You may call me Mike."_

_"Michael," another mermaid asked. She had long pink hair that ended at her waist. "What should we do? If the guards find him here… they'll take him away."_

_"Then we just won't let them find him now, will we Maxine?" he responded gently._

_The woman nodded and scooped up Atrus in her arms protectively. "Mom!" he groaned, flailing a bit._

_"Give him some air Maxi," the second tallest merman answered. "Don't strangle our son."_

_Max bonked him on the head. "Be quiet Stephan!" _

_I took this all in tiredly. It was all really hopelessly confusing for one seven-year-old. I glanced around at the other three anonymous merpeople, who came forward and ruffled their daughter's hair. She smacked away their hands and regarded me with curiosity. _

_"Hey Jay, my name's Adria and I'm eight years old and these are my parents Angela and Patrick," she said all in one breath. She reminded me of Melody. _

_"Hi," I answered politely. "So, where am I exactly?"_

_"You're in Everlost!" cried out Angela, attempting to braid her daughter's purple hair. Angela herself had red hair. "This is a different world than yours, little one. The portal opens up whenever the whirlpool occurs over the cliff in Nhime Village. You fell into it and well…"_

_I moved my tail up and down, amazed by how natural it felt. _

_"Jaden, you have to be careful in our world, or in any other world for that matter." That was Patrick. "You are in danger here. The fact that you turned into one of us when you passed through the gate proves that. Whenever that happens to anyone else, they stay human and they always drowned. You're special in some way so you must not let the guards see you! They will try to manipulate you to do their bidding. You must stay strong!"_

_I blinked at the young man. "What will they do to me? Why?"_

_Maxine shook her head sadly. "Jaden, we're at war with Evermore. Our Queen still has not arrived as the prophecy foretold-."_

_"You shouldn't believe in stuff like that," I answered calmly. "Prophecies don't always come true and there's no such thing as destiny."_

_"Humor me," Maxine smiled. "Our Queen isn't here and everyone is tense. There are also tales about a mysterious child linked to our Queen. This child could travel freely between all of the worlds and adapt to the lifestyle of that world, like you getting gills and a tail." She added that after she saw I was lost._

_"So, does that mean me?" I wondered out loud. They all nodded. _

_"But we'll keep you safe from them, little one. We'll keep you safe until you are ready to face them," Stephan promised. "You see, little guardian, there are eleven different world other than your own. This world is, as you can obviously see, made of merpeople. Many people believe that the other worlds are focused mainly on 'Duel Monsters', but that is not true. Sure we play the game, but only in dire situations. You see, here and anywhere else except Earth, these games are very real. The loser dies."_

_"Now there are worlds that some of your humans have seen and decided to write 'fantasy' novels out of them. However, we are all quite real. All mythical creatures of the water live here in Everlost. We call this world that because we are forever lost from man-kind and are forbidden to make contact." I looked guilty. "And in Evermore, they want revenge on humans. They want to take over your world to obtain power, but then they discovered that your kind is incredibly dangerous when they saw WWII and they found out that you killed all the vampires. I think it was the nucs that freaked them out big time though… So they gave up on that plan and targeted us instead. We've hated the Evermores (mythical creatures of the air) for as long as I can remember, simply because they are our opposites."_

_Okay, I have no idea what 'nucs' are, and I really don't care at the moment. How am I tied into all of this?_

_He turned towards me gravely. "And now we are slowly destroying both of our worlds. The guards believe that you contain a dangerous power that can wipe out the Evermores and any other world that stands in our way. Most people here want that too. We are a very greedy race… well, most of us anyway. There are actually only 20 of us, not all of them being merpeople, who want peace instead of war. But using that kind of power for evil cannot have a good outcome. Now that I've met you myself, I can see that you are just a kind child. If there is any evil in you, it is asleep and I'll do whatever it takes to make sure it stays that way. I will protect you while you remain here, Guardian."_

_I looked up at him carefully. "Can't I go home?"_

_They all looked shocked. "Why would you want to do that?" Liz cried out. _

_"Because it's not safe for me here," I reasoned. "You guys will get hurt for helping me. Plus you just said that the guard's will try to use me in a way that I can't be used. I don't have any kind of power like that! Even if I did, I wouldn't use it to hurt all of those people. And… back home, it's just me and my mom. She lost my dad after I was born… I can't do this to her. She's worried out of her mind by now."_

_Patrick nodded his head. "You're wise for one so young. You truly can adapt to our world. But… the gate will not open again for another two weeks."_

_"TWO WEEKS!" I burst out. I gave my tail a sharp flick and I sped off the sandy floor. _

_Adria looked sympathetic. Atrus was surprised. "You're family is separated? Did your dad die? Was he killed?"_

_I looked at my fin sadly. "He was killed. It was some kind of freak accident. My mom said it was 'black colored lightning'."_

_Atrus put a supportive hand on my shoulder. "I lost someone too. My little bro, Dexter. One of the guards killed him in front of me when we tried to help a human girl that fell through our portal…"_

_"Did you say black lightning?" Adria asked._

_I just nodded. _

_"That's from the Evermore though. Why would one of them be in your world?" Serena pondered. _

_"What's Evermore again?" I inquired, starting to get my facts confused._

_"Evermore's another world. They are creatures of the air, like winged humans, fairies, sprites, angels, demons, and dragons," Serena elaborated. "The dragons can use 'black lightning' to instantly kill a foe, but they are left incredibly tired afterwards. I wonder what one was doing on Earth…"_

_I stayed with these merpeople for a few more days and by then Atrus, Liz, Adria, and I were friends. We were inside, cuz I can't go outside! _

_"Hey Dri," I said. "Not to be rude or anything, but why a world full of merpeople and another full of flying things?"_

_"Where do you think your designers get their ideas for cards?" she replied. _

_Oh. "Good point," I agreed. "Know what's weird though? I've been here for nine days already and I'm not even hungry! Not once!"_

_They looked at me strange. "You're not… what?" Atrus asked, bewildered._

_"Er, hungry, you know," I muttered. "Um… like needing to eat… like food and stuff."_

_They understood that. _

_"Oh!" Liz squealed. "We don't eat. We're evolved or something. Is it true that humans eat fish?"_

_"Ummm…" I was saved the trouble of answering from Michael. _

_"Kids! Take Jaden and swim! Get out of here now!!" Michael commanded._

_Before I could protest, Atrus and Adria dragged me out a window and Liz swam in front of me. They let go and we shot through the water like torpedoes. I glanced behind me shoulder and saw terrifying merman. Instead of glittering tails like ours, they had shark tales that were deep black, spikes on their forearms, and worst of all a mouth that ran from ear to ear that was full of sharp, deadly teeth. _

_We continued our mad dash for the faster currents that would take us to the help. _

_They spotted us and fell on us in seconds. I remember pushing Liz and Adriainto the faster tides so they were swept away to safety and Atrus dragging me through and then something sharp grabbed my tail before I could get all the way into it. It felt like tiny needles were being injected into my tail as the guard pulled me back into his grasp. Then my world went black._

_I woke up in a small cage in a dark room. My tail was throbbing and my hands were bound. I wasn't scared at all though. I knew Atrus, Liz, and Adria were safe. But where was I?_

_"So you're awake, you little demon." This voice was very low and made the hairs on the back of my neck stand up. One of the guards came into view. He pocked his fingers through the bars and wiggled them, making fun of me. _

_So I did what any sensible mer-human-kid-thing would do, I bit him, hard._

_He screamed, pulling his now bleeding finger out of my cage. I heard dark chuckles and saw another guard emerge from the shadows. "So you want to play, so you?" he asked me. But he didn't poke his fingers in my cage. I growled at him._

_"That's quite a lot of zip you've got, Guardian Yuki," he continued, fingering a strange medallion on his chest. "But I have something that will cut you down to size."_

_He held up the medal to me and it glowed bright red-gold. I shielded my eyes as it grew and engulfed everything. There were screams everywhere around me, people dying, dragons dying, worlds being destroyed, merpeople trying to escape, duel monster spirits trying to flee, but were caught and banished. I cried out and clasped my hands over my ears, trying to stop the noise and the images. Stop! Stop! STOP IT!_

_It was all too much. Now there was fire burning in me, tearing apart my mind. STOP IT! I begged. _

_The guard was watching the little boy with a disgusted look on his face. He's too kind. I need to find his hidden power and unleash it, that was the only mission the prophecy told me to do! But he's resisting so hard! _

_"This is what is happening to the worlds!" the shark thing hollered at me. "They are falling apart even as we float here and talk! Stop resisting! Throw away you're heart! Let your anger out! Let your pain cover everything else! Rise for God's sake! Rise!"_

_"NO! GET AWAY FROM ME!!" I hollered, barely hearing myself. "I WON'T THROW AWAY MY HEART! THAT'S WHY YOU'RE FIGHTING IN THE FIRST PLACE! LEAVE ME ALONE!"_

_The creature backed away as something clicked in my mind. It smirked before bowing low to me. That idiot. The images left me as quickly as they came and I caught my reflection against the reflective bars. My eyes were bright gold, but that didn't bother me at all. A smirk played across my face as I raised a hand towards the guards…_

_I opened my eyes. My head hurt. Now where was I? _

_"Jay-den?" someone said. "Atrus, he's waking up!"_

_I focused on the voice. She was a little mermaid, no older than me. "Liz?" I mumbled. _

_She nodded slowly. "Are you ok?"_

_"Yeah, just tired," I answered. Then I took in what was below me. Sand, dry sand!! I was on land. I tried lifting myself up, but a soft hand pushed me back down. It was Adria. _

_She wasn't smiling like Liz. She looked scared. "Dri, what's wrong?" I tiredly asked._

_"Don't you remember anything?" she said. She touched one of my newly reformed legs curiously. I was suddenly glad that my old clothes had appeared on me._

_"Remember what?" I ventured._

_"Nothing," she replied. "We brought you back to your world. You're safe now. Now we all are."_

_I was about to ask her again when Atrus swam over to the beach edge that I was lying on. "Jay!" he happily exclaimed, throwing his arms around me. "We were so worried about you, man!"_

_I blinked incomprehensively. _

_"After you blew apart those guards, we didn't know if we could snap you out of it!" Atrus continued, oblivious to me freezing in place. I killed someone?_

_"It was scary, and yet cool in some way!" he went on. "Your eyes were different though. They were golden. But- you blew up part of the dungeon; and our parents escaped! Well done! Then more guards swarmed up to you and you just smirked and held out your hand. Your eyes glowed and they all, like, dropped dead! Literally! It was wicked man! Then you vanished, in like, thin water! You appeared again later at the castle, and literally blasted it to pieces! Your eyes went all glow-in-the-dark and then your tail was shimmering and a HUGE blast of this dark aura thingy hit the castle and it blew up!! It was sweet!! How did you do that anyway? Could you show me?"_

_O--kay… was anyone else worried about how I did that?_

_"Then we all swam to you, me, Serena, Mike, Adria, Liz, Stephan, Max, Angela, and Patrick, and you kinda just froze and shut down."_

_I **do** remember seeing them all together… They had looked so scared… I think._

_"Like you're doing now," Adria commented, watching me. _

_"Jay-den, do you fell okay?" My 'little sis' Liz asked, worried._

_"Not really, I'm sort of… dizzy," I answered._

_"You should rest, you've been through a lot lately," Adria suggested wisely. "We'll be back here in a month, can you come visit?" She saw my startled glance. "Not in our world! Gosh no! Do you think that we're going to let you into all of those livid people's grasps? Just on the beach I mean. I want to talk to you about what happened."_

_"Oh," I sighed. "Sure."_

_"Bye, Jaden," Atrus said._

_"Good-bye, Jay-den!"_

_"Bye, Jay."_

_Then I passed out._

**_End Jaden's POV_**

_As unpleasant as Jaden's memories were in his fitful sleep, Alexis' were pleasant._

**_Alexis POV_**

_Alexis was dreaming of the day she and Jaden finally got together._

_I walked out of my dorm, angry with Jasmine and Mindy for trying to get me to talk about Haou Jaden again. Couldn't they see that it bothered me?_

_I just needed a place to unwind for awhile. I took in my location, suddenly unsure of where I had stormed off to. I was walking up a flowered hill and could hear the sound of running water. _

_Well this place seems nice, I thought happily. Now all it needs is Jaden. _

_Then I blushed big time._

_My feet carried me to the top of the hill and I heard a gasp escape my mouth. It was beautiful here. There was a small lake across from me with a gentle waterfall falling lazily off of a low cliff. Surrounding the shiny waters was a meadow full of all different color flowers. _

_And best of all there was a boy in a red jacket and brown hair sitting below me, staring at the water as if debating whether or not to swim. _

_He looked up at me with his deep brown eyes. My heart panged when I saw that he looked happy for once. After he had woken up and recovered, he had always seemed more glum and distant to us. Not that we weren't trying to talk to him, he just never wanted to talk about what had happened. He understood that we forgave him though; I just don't think he's forgiven himself yet._

_"Hey, Lex," he smiled, shading his eyes from the sun to look up at me. "What brings you here?"_

_"My crazy friends," I replied dreamily. He looked so handsome when he had that goofy smile. "So what were you just thinking about? Do you want to swim?"_

_He laughed one of his now rare true laughs. Lately he had just smiled sadly, never laughed. Maybe that's why I felt so elated. _

_"What kind of a question is that?" he answered brightly. "Of course I'm gonna swim! I was debating whether or not to jump off that cliff."_

_My heart stopped. I guess my smile must have slid off my face because he rushed on, "Not like that, Lex! I mean cliff jumping, like into the water. I used to do it with some friends back at home, and this isn't too tall to jump from."_

_I was relived and embarrassed that I thought he was about to end his life. I smiled as he took his jacket and shirt off suddenly and started pulling me towards the water. My face turned a red that would have shamed Jaden's jacket. He had grown really strong lately, let's just leave it at that._

_He turned back to look at me curiously. "What's up?"_

_We stopped running at the base of the cliff. There was a pretty straight pathway to the top from here. Then he got a sly look on his face. "Don't tell me you're afraid of heights."_

_"I'm not!" I flared. I threw my shoes and gloves off and marched to the summit. Jaden copied me, laughing pleasantly again. Then I looked down. O-K maybe I was. _

_Is it appealing to you to jump off a cliff next to a waterfall and into the water? _

_"Do you want to go first, or should I?" Jaden asked, reading my fear. _

_"Er, go ahead Jay," I whimpered._

_He smirked and threw himself off the edge. He whooped and laughed the entire way down. Before smacking into the water, he flipped smartly and did a perfect dive, barely making a splash. I was impressed._

_"Come on, Lex!" he cried up at me when he resurfaced. "It's sweet!!"_

_"Umm… I think I'm okay up here," I called. Man, was I a chicken._

_"Come on! Don't be a chicken Alexis!" Jaden responded, a playful gleam entering his eyes. That's what made me jump, not the playful gleam, HE CALLED ME A CHICKEN!!_

_I jumped out into open air, screaming like a banshee as I dropped, but then I cracked open my eyes and saw Jaden with a smile on his face. My fear vanished and I found that I was having fun. I entered the water with a giant splash and came up laughing. _

_Jaden swan up next to me and cocked his head to the side, "Wanna go again?"_

_I punched him in the shoulder and replied, "What kinda question is that?"_

_We ran up to the summit again and I was about to jump when Jaden held out his hand to me. I blushed as he asked, "Together?"_

_I could only nod and grasped his hand firmly. "On three… One… Two… Three!"_

_We leapt into the air, bringing ourselves closer to each other unconsciously and screaming with delight. I caught him looking at me out of the corner of his eye and turned to face him in midair. He did the same and said over the wind, "I'm glad you came."_

_I smiled and leaned in towards him, whispering, "I'm glad Jaden's back."_

_Then we crashed into the warm water and were suddenly kissing. If you've ever kissed someone underwater, you're crazy. But it was amazing._

_We were both surprised at first, but then I watched his eyes close and he kissed back. I mimicked him and we dissolved into our passionate kiss until our lungs were screaming for air. Then we kicked to the surface, still holding hands. _

_We swam to shore and lay down next to each other. Jaden had one hand resting on his abs and his other was tangled in mine. His eyes were closed, but I could tell that he was happy. "Where were we?" he said playfully._

_"Right here," I finished and place my lips on his again. He smiled and we stared making-out. Time seemed to stop as I kissed him. My heart was bursting with joy and I wrapped my hands around his neck and he placed his on my waist. I didn't remember sitting up, but we were now. Then suddenly I could feel, Jaden. Feel his heart racing fast like mine and I could feel something else. There was still something sinister within him. For some unexplainable reason, I could sense it. But I also felt goodness, and a wild edge to him that drew me in. _

_Who was I kidding for all of these months I've been with Jaden? How could anyone not see that I was in love with him? Why couldn't I until I saw him dying? _

_I broke apart and gazed into his comforting eyes. But even there I could see it. Just too far away to focus on, but a glint of evil. I shivered and pulled Jaden into a wet hug. He must have sensed my fear, because he pulled away and looked into me now. "What is it, Lex?"_

_I shook my head, trying to find that sinister something again. But it was gone now, replaced with concern. "Jaden, I can't properly explain it… but, just now… I felt something--dark--when I was kissing you," I admitted. "Tell me that you're still you. Please."_

_He lifted my chin up so that I could see into his deep eyes clearly. "Alexis, if Haou ever somehow slinks his way back into my mind, this time I've got friends who can help me. And there's no one that can take me away from you. I promise."_

_I smiled and looked away, slightly ashamed for doubting him. I could tell that he was hurt by my thoughts. "Jaden… I trust you," I whispered and then looked him in the eye. "I'm just afraid to lose you… I... I love you."_

_He didn't look surprised by my confession. He drew closer and kissed me on the lips lightly. "I love you too."_

_I snuggled into his warm embrace and sighed. This was how it was supposed to be. This was perfect. Just Jaden and I._

**_End POV_**

**_Did you like this chapter? I know, just flashbacks! But next chapter isn't off in dream land, I promise!_**

**_If you liked it, please review!_**

_**Just ****one**** QUOTE this time:**_

_There was a sound like a car slamming on its brakes coming from in front of us. "JAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAYY!"_

_Jaden had just enough time to look up and then something with brown hair and red streaks slammed into him and knocked him over._

_Alexis and Jesse deployed their duel disks, expecting it to be another weird creature. Jaden laughed, surprising Jesse and the others._

_"Hey Melody! You've grown up!" he chuckled._


	10. Hello Melody Yuki!

**DISCLAIMER: I DON'T OWN YUGIOH GX! IF I DID, JADEN AND ALEXIS WOULD GET TOGETHER WHILE BLAIR AND CHAZZ TRIED TO SABATAGE THEM!! **

****

**Chapter 9 **

_Jaden was facing a mirror in darkness of heart once again. Standing to his right was the shadowy figure of Haou, matching his shape but with glowing gold eyes. He acknowledged his other half grimly, and Haou nodded slowly before looking at the mirror again. _

**_It's over my other half, both of us have failed. _**_Haou didn't seem as cold anymore. He sounded sad. **We could not stop them, and now neither of us has control over our deadly secret. It is in their hands now… the end of the world is now. **_

_Jaden looked at the mirror in horror as it reflected himself with glowing gold eyes standing next to _**him.** **He**_ wore a prideful smile and was speaking to a girl with golden hair and hazel eyes. "Alexis!" Jaden called out from his mind and even Haou looked alarmed. _

_"Girl, you are a fool. Your Jaden is no longer there. Can you not see it in his eyes? You were foolish to come here. Now you will die and it shall be him that destroys you." _

**He **_turned towards 'Jaden' now, a smirk on _**his**_ face. "Go and destroy your 'angel' Guardian." _

_"No!" Jaden screamed from his mind and was surprised when Haou's joined his. "Stop! Stop it!!" _

_His body moved slowly towards Alexis, who stood tall and straight. She spoke to him, most likely the last true words she would ever say to him. "Jaden, Atrus and the others are dead. I'm the only one left. _**He **_killed them. Why are you on his side?" _

_"I'm not! Haou, we have to stop me!" Jaden screeched, nearly out of his mind. (figuratively, not literally) _

_"There is nothing we can do," Haou simply said. "It is out of our hands, whether we are joined or separate." _

_"No!" Jaden ran up to the mirror and touched it as if he could reach Alexis through the mirror. "Alexis!!" _

_"Jaden," she whispered as his body approached her and came to a halt before those beautiful eyes. "I will always love you. And now I wait for the day that you can follow me to life's last, and greatest, adventure." _

_"ALEXIS!" Jaden wailed. "NO!" _

_He felt his arm lift up and he placed it on Alexis's cheek. The color drained from her face and something seemed to fade away in her eyes. Then she crumpled to the ground on his feet, gone forever. _

Jaden woke up hitting and kicking and thrashing. Once he realized that, he stopped immediately, he was also drenched in cold sweat. He flew up, but something was holding him down. His shocked eyes moved slowly up and met with Alexis's hazel ones, and then he looked to her right and saw everyone staring at him in shock.

"You must have had one hell of a nightmare there, Jay," Hassleberry colorfully input.

_You have no idea, _Jaden miserably thought.

"Yeah, mate. You were hollering and thrashing around like the devil was after you," Jim added, observing him closely.

"Are you alright Jaden? You kept shouting out 'Stop! Stop it!' and 'Get away!'. You also kept repeating the names Atrus, Liz, and Adria. You said my name a lot too. Why did you shout out the merpeople's names Jaden?" Alexis whispered in a calming tone.

He looked down at her arms and received a shook. She was covered in multiply scratches and places that looked like they were about to bruise. He glanced at her hands which were on his shoulders in a vice-grip. His brown eyes found a corner in the room and saw the ojama brothers and Ruby cowering against the wall.

"Did I do that to you?" Jaden asked, staring once again at Alexis's wounds.

"It's okay Jaden, you were asleep. You didn't know it was me," she replied.

Jaden looked down, ashamed that he had hurt her and had scared the duel spirits.

"You didn't answer my questions Jaden," Alexis pointed out.

"I don't have to," he snapped in a venomous voice. Everyone unconsciously took a step back. Alexis let go of him and Jaden walked out of the sick bay on the boat in still soaking wet clothes. He went into his and Sy's room and changed into a red T-shit and shorts. Then Aster walked in.

"Jaden," he said simply.

"Aster," Jaden responded, towel drying his hair.

The pro was silent for a few moments, watching Jaden carefully. Aster broke the hostile silence with a sigh. Jaden and Haou were surprised, they had expected Aster to start yelling.

"Jaden, Bastion just told us all about you and Haou. You're other side? Ring a bell?" he sighed, but his blue eyes were observant.

"I don't have another side anymore Aster," Jaden replied in a cold voice.

"Sore spot," Aster quipped. "Then why are you acting like this. You're going between anger, sorrow, joy, and excitement like crazy."

"Puberty," Jaden replied sarcastically. Aster swallowed a snort.

"Okay, if your problem with your dark side is solved, then what do you know about those mermaids?"

Jaden glanced at Aster in an innocent way. "Nothing important."

The boy didn't believe that. "Then why did you know their names, know what that card did to Alexis, and call the little one your 'little sister'?"

Oops. Aster continued when Jaden didn't reply. He said, "And Alexis told us about what you told her this morning, that you _do_ know something about the dragon thing. She also mentioned that you said it all started back when you were young. What's the matter? Cat got you tongue?" He added that last part when Jaden didn't respond.

"Listen Jaden, we both know about the horrors of my past, so I don't think your story can be much worse."

"Tch," Jaden answered. "You're right, it isn't worse by very much; it's worse by a lot."

Aster smiled in victory. "So? Can you prove to me that your past is worse than losing your own father?"

Jaden glared at the blue-eyed pro. "You're not the only one who lost their father Aster."

There was a stunned silence after that. Aster was staring at him with his eyebrows arched so high that they weren't visible.

_Well, I dangled a carrot in front of his face; let's see where it takes us. _

**_Away from dangerous waters for sure, _**Haou nodded. **_That is one part of our past that is safe to talk about._**

"You lost your father too?" Aster whispered, still shocked.

Jaden nodded slowly, keeping his eyes away from Aster's. "He died when I was one."

"What happened?" the shocked boy continued.

"He was murdered," Jaden replied frostily, having enough common sense to not mention that Charles Yuki had been killed by a dragon from another world. Or that he gathered this information from a mermaid in yet another different world when he was seven. Oh yeah, and let's not forget to add the tail and fin while we're at it.

A sudden look of understanding spread across Aster's face. "Was he killed in Nhime Village, Jaden? Did you used to live there when you were little?"

Okay, how did he pull that out? "Yeah," Jaden sighed, not sure where this was going but deciding to play along. As if to emphasize his grief, Winged Kuriboh appeared by his side, acting as if comforting Jaden.

Aster bowed his head, "I'm sorry for your loss Jaden, I guess this explains why you've been acting sort of strange lately. Going back to the town where your father was murdered will most likely bring back bad memories."

_You have no idea._ But of course Jaden didn't say that. He simply nodded in what he hoped was a sad nod and chanced a glance into Aster's eyes. With his uncanny ability to read people, Jaden could tell that the mermen had temporarily been pushed out of Aster's mind when he realized he and Jaden shared a traumatic event in the past.

Aster seemed lost in thought for a long while.

"A penny for your thoughts?" Jaden supplied.

Aster started as if he had forgotten Jaden standing there. He laughed nervously and said, "Uh, yeah… umm… Well I'll see you around Jaden."

The pro left as suddenly as he came. "Okay, what was that all about?" Jaden asked Kuriboh.

His little spirit threw up his hands in exasperation. Then his other duel spirits joined in. Yubel and Neos decided it was best to appear on the scene and possibly chide Jaden for not telling the entire truth to his friends.

"Jaden," Neos started. "That was very close. We have to be careful around your friends now."

Jaden practically did the anime-face-vault. "What? You actually agree with me?! I thought you were going to yell at me!"

Yubel sniggered. "My precious child, of course we agree with you. You're secret is very dangerous. If it falls into the wrong hands… well, you know what would happen."

Jaden looked away pointedly. "I won't let _that _ever happen."

The three spirits nodded.

_Kuri, Kuuurrri! _(We need to think up some kind of story that ties your dad into all of this to prevent our friends from suspecting something) Kuriboh input, flapping his wings thoughtfully.

"Well, let's go get some fresh air to think about it," Jaden suggested after several minutes of useless brainstorming. They all nodded and followed Jaden in spirit form out to the highest point of the upper decks. Jaden leaned against the wall, a little cautiously at first since his memory was still rather vivid in his head, and stared out to the ocean like he always did to think.

"Jaden?" Yubel asked suddenly and he realized she had been observing him closely.

"Yes, Yubel?" he responded, still staring into the waves thoughtfully.

"Why do you always come out to the ocean from the highest possible point to think?" she wondered.

The question caught him off-guard. "Er… What do you mean?"

"Whenever you want to mull over something, you've always gone to the ocean and you look out across it from a cliff or a building… somewhere high up," the spirit elaborated.

Jaden folded his arms across his chest thoughtfully. "I guess… I just feel comfortable when I don't have to choose one over the other…"

Yubel smiled softly at her soul partner. "There's more to you than meets the eye, Jaden Yuki."

The brunette smirked. "A lot more."

The boy looked straight down and saw the silver hair of Aster and then noticed the rest of the gang around him. They were listening intently to what the boy had to say and then Syrus asked him something. Aster paused and smacked his forehead.

Zane closed his eyes and Jaden was able to pick up, "We wanted you to talk to him because we thought you would be hard for him to distract. You usually have a knack for picking apart lies, Aster. How could you let him get away?"

"Shit," Jaden said.

"I'll go find him and beat some sense into the slacker!" Chazz yelled. Everyone in the vicinity gave him a startled glance.

Jaden noticed Atticus start to slip away from the main group. Alexis's crazy brother stopped and looked straight up, his eyes locking on Jaden's. "Shit," Jaden repeated now that he had been found.

But Atticus did not turn around and warn the others. He simply made 'wait for me' motions with his hand at Jaden and vanished from sight. Jaden sighed audibly.

"Should we run?" Neos offered. "We could fly you out of here."

"Thanks, Neos. But I'm going to have to face him eventually."

The teen appeared, not alone, but with a very famous someone as well. Jaden felt Yubel, Neos, and Kuriboh stir in surprise as Pegasus was half-dragged towards him by an animated Atticus.

"Umm… hi?" Jaden chanced, confused. "What are you doing here sir?"

"Well Jaden-boy," Pegasus started, sounding not at all annoyed, more amused. "Chancellor Sheppard called up Kaiba and informed him of the cryptic message. Kaiba sent some of his top duelists and employees to Duel Academy for protection and I heard of this through the grape vine and managed to make it onto the boat to offer more protection. I have grown quite fond of all the students here, and I don't wish for anyone else to be harmed."

"Oh," Jaden weakly answered.

"But enough of that. Mr. Rhodes here informed me of your latest adventure into the Dark World and apparently wishes for me to talk to you since you won't to any of your friends."

"Did he now?" Jaden formally replied sending death glares at Atticus, whose response was to smirk, but then took a step back.

Pegasus laughed, "Now don't hate the young man for telling me Jaden-boy! I already knew of your adventures in the Dark World through Sheppard. But there is something I do want to know from you."

Jaden braced himself for questions about Haou and Yubel.

"How did you open the portal to get back to Earth?"

Atticus did a face-vault behind him, apparently, that's not want he wanted Pegasus to pry from Jaden. Jaden, however, paled considerably. How he opened the gate and controlled it had to do with _everything_ that was happening now.

_Did Pegasus know that? Or was it just a lucky guess? _

Atticus recovered from kissing the floor when Jaden remained silent and watched as his sister's boyfriend fidgeted nervously. _Could Pegasus have asked the right question after all?_

Pegasus saw that his question made Jaden uncomfortable, so he did what his impulses told him to do. He put a supportive hand on Jaden's shoulder. The boy recoiled from his touch immediately, surprising him.

Yubel was speaking rapidly into Jaden's ear, warning him that Pegasus would be able to sense the darkness swirling beneath his skin if he touched Jaden, being the creator of the cards from the different worlds. Sure enough, the card-designer's eyes narrowed and he observed Jaden in new light.

_That's strange, _he thought, watching Jaden watch him. _I never felt something that… sinister… in Jaden-boy before… I wonder if this is the presence of Haou that I feel… but something tells me it's something else… _

Neos was scrutinizing Pegasus warily. He turned towards Jaden in a foreboding way. "He knows."

Jaden bit his lip to prevent a cry of frustration. _Why can't I keep this one thing secret? The only thing that I need to keep!_

"Mr. Rhodes," Pegasus slowly spoke, his voice no longer cheery. "Will you please excuse Jaden and me for a moment? I wish to speak to him alone."

"Sure, Mr. Pegasus," Atticus replied, a little stunned when Pegasus didn't add 'boy' at the end of Jaden's name.

Jaden glared coldly at Atticus, and the older teen could have sworn that he saw a glint of gold in those brown eyes, but when he looked again, it was gone.

"What?!" Pegasus exclaimed when Jaden finally told him his story. It had taken quite a lot of prying and degrading to force the explanation from the reluctant boy. However much strange experiences Pegasus had been through in his life, he had never even come close to something like this. Now he understood that sinister edge that Jaden had about him. Jaden was being protective of his friends and those he cared about, which is why he hadn't told them.

And that sinister part was not Haou. Jaden had reluctantly told the card-designer that he and Haou _had_ been combined into one whole for a brief period, and in that time span, he had had complete control over his sinister secret. But ever since that day in the gate, even though Haou had denied that it was him who injured Jaden, Jaden and Haou had become separate souls again, unable to combine no matter how hard they tried.

"Jaden-boy," Pegasus whispered, lending support to a Jaden who looked completely exhausted. "If it costs you that much just to tell me… if you had to fight that hard… what will happen when you arrive on Nhime?"

The boy shook his head. "Dunno."

"Is it wise for you to arrive there? We are only an hour away now, you and Ms. Rhodes were out for quite awhile," Pegasus said.

"Oh, right. How is she?" Jaden sighed. But he didn't recoil from the man's touch this time. He already knew after all. "I'll be… ok in Nhime Village. I've still got Melody there… Nick will make it worse, but he's 18 now so I don't even know if he's still there or if he went off to college already."

"Are they like you?" Pegasus wondered.

"Melody's not… at least I don't think she is. Nick's like my opposite… His dark side is always showing, and his good side is hidden, I mean. He's an idiot," Jaden snarled that last part. Pegasus raised his eyebrows.

"Is there still something you're not telling me?"

"Yes," Jaden simply answered. "It's personal issues."

Pegasus sighed dramatically. "I'm going to go speak to your friends."

"What?!! No! Didn't I just explain to you why they can't know!" Jaden paniced.

"Calm down, Jaden-boy, calm down. I agree with you that they shouldn't know more than they need to. But they need to be aware enough of the impending danger that you are in. Is there anything that you told them about before that I should know about?" Pegasus pondered, returning to his normally cheery attitude.

Jaden's duel spirits decided to appear before the designer in solid form. Pegasus didn't even jump, which impressed Jaden. "So these are you links, eh Jaden-boy?"

He bobbed his head up and down.

"We'll explain what has already happened, I don't think Jaden has to strain himself anymore," Neos commanded, which Jaden was thankful for. He simply slid down against the wall and leaned his back against it. He hadn't actually expected that he and Haou had to _fight_ against his stupid secret in order to tell someone about it. And that process drained him.

_"Kuri, kurrii, kur-rri! (Don't worry Jaden, you'll be fine in a little while!)," _Kuriboh insisted.

He smiled wearily as Yubel explained the messenger's attack, the mermen, and talking with Aster. Pegasus listened closely and clapped his hands twice. By the time that he had been caught up to speed, Jaden was feeling loads better. Well, physically anyway. He felt uneasy about someone else knowing his secret, but Pegasus could look after himself after all.

"I'll simply tell them that I pried an explanation out of you," Pegasus insisted. "And that is that your father died at the hands of the messenger and the mermen were there trying to stop it, seeing as they are natural enemies. They befriended you and your mother and tried to console you, but then they had to go back to their world after a few years to help with the war between them and Evermore. And they remembered that you are a deadly duelist and even found out about your flip side, Haou, and both worlds are in desperate need of powerful duelists to win these life and death duels, so they are targeting you and anyone who would try and protect you from them, which is why you were reluctant to tell them any of this."

"To bad they aren't only fighting with duel disks," Jaden wryly input. "But otherwise it's sweet. That's perfect. But I should come with you; I think it would make it more believable."

Pegasus looked concerned. "Can you really handle all of this Jaden-boy?"

"I don't know," he truthfully answered. "Oh, and Pegasus?"

"Yes Jaden-boy?"

"Thanks," Jaden said, bowing his head slightly.

The man chuckled and steered Jaden down to the lower deck to confront his friends. It was (thankfully) a quite conversation where Pegasus did most the talking and Jaden avoided eye-contact with Alexis, knowing that she would want to hear it from him before deeming the story plausible.

"So…" Jesse whistled, a bit overloaded. "Jaden, you're the target of two completely different worlds that are intertwined with you since you were little?"

Jaden nodded, locking his eyes with the bluenette. "Pretty much."

"Anyone else sick and tired of other worlds?" Chazz whined.

Everyone raised their hands sheepishly, even Zane who had a slight smile on his face ever since Jaden had healed his heart issues.

Jaden grinned, once again stunned by how much his friends still trusted him. They all gave Jaden words of encouragement for the remaining time on the boat, especially Alexis who seemed to finally forgive his frosty attitude with the look that says you-were-being-a-jackass-but-I-forgive-you. He accepted her warm embrace, the memory of her telling him that she had sensed his secret that day in the meadow fresh in his mind.

The boat stopped and they all took out the luggage that Chancellor Sheppard had had someone bring on the boat for them. They took in the quaint little town that had grown into an almost city with animated looks. The sun was reflecting off the ocean and gave everything a glittering look. There wasn't a cloud in the sky and there was a pleasant breeze hitting them in the faces.

Then, of course, something went wrong.

There was a sound like a car slamming on its brakes coming from in front of them.

"JAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAYY!"

Jaden had just enough time to look up and then something with brown hair and red streaks slammed into him and knocked him over.

Alexis and Jesse deployed their duel disks, expecting it to be another weird creature. Jaden laughed, surprising Jesse and the others.

"Hey Melody! You've grown up!" he chuckled.

* * *

**Ok, now enter Melody Yuki! Yes, Nick does appear in the next chapter too! **

**Quote: **

**There was a man with short, spiky black hair and piercing blue eyes. He glanced up at Jaden, who froze in place. They stared at each other for a full three minutes before the man stood up and held out his hand towards Jaden, who looked positively frightened. "Hello cuz, long time no see," Nick Yuki said in a low and dangerous voice. **


	11. Angel of the Guardian?

**DICLAIMER: I DON'T OWN YUGIOH GX!**

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**Chapter 10 **

"Jaden!" Melody gleefully shouted. "I'd recognize that hair and those eyes anywhere!"

"It's nice to see you too, Mels," Jaden laughed, calling her by her pet name.

"DON'T CALL ME MELS!" she hollered in his face. "I HATE it when you do that!"

She got off of her cousin, who wore a grin that practically went from ear to ear. "That's why I call you that, Mels. Any-way," Jaden rushed on when fire appeared in her eyes, "these are some friends of mine! Melody, meet: Jesse, Jim, Axel, Aster, Atticus, Zane, Syrus, Hassleberry, Bastion and Chazz. And this is my girlfriend, Alexis Rhodes."

Alexis smiled and offered her hand towards Melody. The younger girl shook it and locked her eyes on Alexis. They were a cute pink color. Now that she wasn't attacking Jaden, they could all take her in clearly.

_She clearly had the Yuki's good-looks, _Alexis thought absently.

The girl was as tall as Alexis. Her bangs were shaped like an uneven M and had two streaks of red in the longer one and a single one in the other. Her hair was tucked in behind her ears and still had red streaks running through the brown too. She had Jaden's eye-shape and that same sparkle of laughter in her eyes. Her lashes were longer though and her cheeks had a rosy hint to them.

She was pale otherwise and also shared Jaden's athletic build. She was wearing a purple tank-top (the school appropriate 4-fingers type) with a bright green ¾ length shirt beneath it. She wore a simple jean skirt that ended half to her knees. She wore one green and purple glove on her right hand and a purple anklet on her left ankle. Her shoes were green flip-flops.

This all looked surprisingly good on the girl and she had Chazz practically drooling over her. The girl saw Chazz checking her out and smacked him over the head quickly. "Quit drooling Romeo," the teen said levelly while everyone sweat-dropped.

"I _never _thought I was going to see you again, Jaden!" Melody continued. "After you and Nick fought last time…" She trailed off and blushed as if she had let something slip. "But you've got to come visit us after you guys get checked into wherever it is you're staying! Mom can't wait to see you! Dad's away on a business trip and Nick's checking out a college campus, so neither of them will be around."

Jaden sighed inwardly when he heard that Nick wasn't around.

**_Are you sure? _**Haou wondered. **_I feel… something… something's not exactly right here. _**

_Of course you feel like that Haou, we're being tailed by two vicious different worlds who want to use us for world domination. _

**_I'm not so sure, _**Haou did sound uncertain for once. **_It feels like the gate here. That thing that actually stabbed us… I think that's what I'm sensing… It feels so much like our own darkness though… this is strange, not knowing what will happen. _**

_Welcome to my life, _Jaden replied, wrapping his arms around Alexis from behind. She relaxed completely in his arms and Jaden felt his own pulse become steadier instead of panicky.

They all managed to arrive at the hotel without any disasters larger than Chazz throwing a fit when he found out that they had to carry their own luggage to their rooms. Melody joined in with Alexis to shut him up by whacking him repeatedly with Alexis's hair dryer.

Jaden gave a small smile and Zane observed all of this wit his usually bored expression. "If we're done beating each other up now, lets go to our rooms."

He walked off with Aster and Atticus, his roommates, trudging behind him with bemused expressions. Atticus started walking backwards so he could wave at the receptionist, who was a pretty girl about 19 years old, before crashing into the elevator doors when Zane and Aster failed to warn him.

They did think to laugh though. Jaden felt his anxiety start to wear off a little. They weren't traveling by sea so now the merpeople couldn't do anything to harm them, like taking another one of his friends with that stupid 'Soul Scepter'.

_Funny how the last time I spoke to Adria she told me to stay away from the 'Soul Scepter' and never use it because it was dangerous. _

**_More ironic really, _**Haou put in his two-cents. **_But Jaden, I think that we are in even more danger here then anywhere else except for Evermore and Everlost. _**

_Why? _

**_Your cousin is_********here. _I can feel it, can't you? _**

Ok, so Jaden did still feel uneasy, but he assumed that was because Pegasus knew his secret and was likely to be a target. If he got hurt, if anyone got hurt, because of him again…

_We'll be extra careful then, but why don't you want to meet him? You seemed to be all for joining the dragon-girl. _

**_The dragon-girl was not a threat, my other half. Both of us know that. We could use just the smallest amount of our power, not even our secret, to overcome her. Then we would be free. But your cousin… I think that he has something similar to us… similar, but not the same. _**

_If only I could remember what happened that day I lost control with Nick…Do you? _

**_No. It was neither of our personalities acting then Jaden. Our… separation had been weakened by the guard's medallion. That whole scene was beyond our control; our secret could leak out while the separation remained weak, so long as we weren't connected like we are now. When Nick pushed you to the limit of your already waning control… that was the end… if your little cousin here hadn't have been able to snap us out of it… well, we wouldn't be talking now. _**

Jaden was suddenly aware that Melody was half-pulling him towards the elevator. Alexis held his hand and was talking to Mindy and Jasmine, who had appeared out of nowhere to talk to their other roommate.

"See you in a few Lex," Jaden said as Melody pulled him up to his room. Jaden barely had enough time to grab his luggage before Melody slammed the door shut and locked it.

"Mels?" Jaden asked. The girl looked like she was close to tears. She suddenly had Jaden in a death-grip again, but she was sobbing this time. Jaden wrapped his arms around his cousin in what he hoped was a comforting way.

She muttered something incoherent.

"Shh, shh, Melody, it's ok," Jaden coed, unable to think of anything else to say.

"Jaden!" she wailed. "I can't believe I almost lost you!"

He held her closer, trying to make her stop crying. "You didn't lose me Melody, I'm right here."

"No! You were gone for two months, Jaden! Two damn months!" the girl cried. "And when you came back you almost died! Your mom called my mom for the first time in over ten years, and it's because you're dying! You're dying and she can't even go see you because of her job! She cried, I was listening, and I was so scared that I was going to lose you Jaden! And the last time we met was when we were little kids… that wasn't exactly the picture perfect memory either! Your mom moving away so suddenly with you, not wanting to have to deal with the horrible memories that she had here… Not seeing her sister-in-law for ten years! I was so worried about you! I knew that your mother didn't exactly know what happened when you and Nick tried to kill each other, but she knew that Nick was dangerous so she ran away before I could warn you!"

"Warn me of what?" Jaden asked, feeling sorry for Melody.

"Nick… you know after we spied on you and the merpeople when you snuck out that night?" Melody whimpered.

Jaden nodded slowly. "And what happened afterwards… well most of it anyway." He couldn't forget that fearsome shade of violet Nick's eyes had become.

"Nick meant what he said," Melody whispered. "When he saw the mermaids, he thought they were weak, since they had saved you. He wants to root them all out… and… he's not looking at some college campus right now, Jaden. He's in Evermore. Nick is **_him_**."

Jaden stopped stroking Melody's hair. "What?"

She nodded in his shirt. "It's true. I know everything that he's been trying to do to get you… well almost everything. He sent that messenger in the hopes that destroying your friends would get you angry enough to lose control again so he could step in and whisk you away to Evermore to tame and basically be manipulated by that medallion Adria talked about, the one she said caused your power to wake up for a moment, but that the guards didn't know how to properly use to control you. He's looking for it. He hasn't found it yet, it went missing after you blew apart the Everlost Castle. But Jaden," she said, looking panicked, "I'm confused. I don't know which side I should be on, it would be dangerous both ways. If I make it clear that I'm on your side, which I am by the way, then he'll use me to get to you. And we both know that you won't let anyone be sacrificed for you."

Sacrificed… That word rang clear in Jaden's head. The memory of his friends disappearing came flying back at him…

_Flashback _

_"Ahh! Jaden! Why do you mean to sacrifice us in order to save Freed's friends?" Hassleberry demanded, screaming in pain. _

_"No… it's not! Hassleberry!" Jaden cried out. _

_"It's painful. This isn't only physical pain, but the pain whose spirit is betrayed by a friend!" Atticus outburst. _

_"Atticus…" Jaden said. _

_"I have to carry the sadness of being betrayed by you…" Alexis said. If anything, that broke Jaden's heart. _

_"Alexis! No… No… No!!" Jaden hollered in agony. _

_His friends screamed as the Wicked Doctrine texts left their bodies and they turned into particles of light, howling in pain… it was that sound that haunted him the most. _

_End Flashback _

"Jaden?" Melody was shaking him. He refocused his eyes onto hers, she looked concerned. "What's wrong?"

Jaden shook his head, trying to clear it of that painful memory. "Nothing… just remembered something…"

The girl didn't press him. "You should act neutral around Nick," Jaden suggested after some forethought. "He wouldn't do anything to hurt you if there was no reason… you are his little sister after all."

Melody was still frowning, but she wiped the tears off her face with her sleeve and bit her lip like she always did when she was thinking. "You're right," she admitted. "I just wish we could help **_him_**… save **_him _**from **_himself_**, you know?"

Jaden gave her a small smile. "If there's a way, I'll find it. I promise."

"Sorry for going to pieces on you there, Jay," Melody said.

"Hey! That's not fair!" Jaden exclaimed, wanting to brighten the mood a bit.

"What?" Melody jumped.

"Why do you get to call me Jay and I can't call you Mels?" Jaden sweetly wondered. She laughed and thumped him on the back of the head.

"Because I said so," Melody announced.

"You sound like your mom," Jaden laughed.

"Do not!" Melody argued back, but couldn't quite manage to be angry. Jaden's attitude was usually contagious.

She dragged him back outside, still chuckling. "We're going over to my house now!" she announced to Jaden's friends. "So anyone who wants to come, err, come?"

They all followed Melody, Jaden and Alexis linking arms, Chazz fuming again, Jasmine and Mindy squealing "Aww! Kewt!", and the rest of the gang trying not to laugh at Chazz's expression.

They arrived after a about seven minutes on foot, Melody calling out important features like a tour guide while Jaden started to daydream, only to be abruptly awakened by Haou warning him that the dark presence was getting nearer.

_Oh no, don't tell me Nick's home, _Jaden silently groaned.

**_He won't try anything with so many witnesses. _**Haou assured his other half.

_Since when do you try and comfort me? _

**_Since I can't control you anyway, might as well make it easier on my more conscious half to be alert instead of with our head in the clouds. _**

"And here we are!" Melody said with a flourish of her hands.

Jaden smiled, it was the same way they had left it. It was sitting by the beach, a small tri-level stone home with plenty of windows and a balcony overlooking the ocean. The front door opened on cue and Jaden's aunt swept out to greet them, hugging every single one of them. She gave Jaden an observant look and said, "You've grown up!"

"Yeah, we tend to do that," Jaden agreed. "So how's everything going Aunt Cathie?"

"Splendid," his aunt replied, bustling them all in the house.

Dread and fear hit Jaden like lightning even before he stepped over the door. Haou was right, Nick _was _here. Jaden looked up at the table.

There was a man with short, spiky black hair and piercing blue eyes. He glanced up at Jaden, who froze in place. They stared at each other for a full three minutes before the man stood up and held out his hand towards Jaden, who looked positively frightened. "Hello cuz, long time no see," Nick Yuki said in a low and dangerous voice.

Melody immediately knew the danger with Nick's appearance. His friends, of course, were oblivious, and thus, in danger. Before Jaden could decided whether or not to take Nick's hand, Melody flung herself onto Nick crying out, "Big brother!"

Jaden blinked as Nick's eyes become a shade darker. Melody removed herself from his grasp and stood between him and Jaden. Mrs. Yuki was looking from Nick to Jaden, obviously worried. Mindy and Jasmine got one look at Nick and then they had hearts in their eyes.

"Hi," they breathed at Nick, who smirked. He gave them a casual two-fingered salute and they fainted to the floor.

_What do I do? What do I do?! _Jaden repeated in his mind, which once again, seemed frozen along with his body.

**_Stay calm, first off, I'll take over for now, _**Haou input.

_Ohhhh, nooo you won't, _Jaden replied, but he suddenly felt as if he was floating. He could still see everything perfectly, and he could tell his eyes were brown because his friends didn't freak, but Alexis did stiffen at his side and look at him.

Jaden found it suddenly easy to arrange his face. Nick didn't seem so frightening anymore. Sure, just another evil, power-crazy megalomaniac. Nothing out of the ordinary.

Nick's eyes flashed violet quickly. So he could feel Haou too? Big whoop.

"So how was the college?" Haou asked through Jaden's mouth, trying to keep things under control. His voice did have a cold edge to it that Alexis picked up.

Nick's gaze shifted from Alexis to Jaden a few times. Then a sinister smile that belonged in a horror movie appeared on his face. "Hello angel, now who might you be? A friend of Jaden's here?" he wondered in that deadly tone.

Jaden's protective personality seeped through Haou's clear face. _He wouldn't! _

"Don't call me angel unless you want to wake up a woman tomorrow," Alexis snarled. Something just wasn't quite right about this guy. The look Jaden gave him when he walked in… and that sinister something that reappeared in Jaden now…

"So you're Jaden's angel then?" Jaden caught the phrasing and Haou reacted.

"Does that really matter, Nick?" Haou asked through Jaden's clenched teeth.

**_Calm down! _**He snapped at Jaden.

_I can't! If she says it, he'll know that she's the real deal and not just some phase! Then he'll kill her without batting an eyelid! _

**_Or he'll control you through her. He'll hurt her if you don't listen to his commands. Jaden, she's not safe. You have to break your ties with her! This is the only way to protect her and the rest of our worlds! _**

_I know… I've known it all along… but I wasn't strong enough… she caught me off-guard. _

**_Now we're running and screaming. _**

Alexis looked slightly offended.

"Whatever," was Nick's casual, none-threatening response? But then he used that voice that only Jaden and his army could hear. **_"But I will find out." _**

Melody seemed to hear him, because she cringed at the cruelty in her brother's voice. "Nick…" she whispered softly.

Nick stood up abruptly and left in the twilight. Jaden and Melody watched him go with an uneasy feeling. The rest looked confused.

**Bad news, readers. I can't update for awhile, I'm busy.**

**Quotes: **

**He _had_** **to do it! He had to put Alexis out of danger! No matter how many times Jaden told himself that, he couldn't force the words to come. She was just standing there, his perfect little angel, waiting for him to speak. Finally, Haou added some of his coldness into the equation and Jaden could speak again. He turned to his love, his heart with finality and strength, "I'm leaving you. I don't love you. I never have." **


	12. Fallen

DISCLAIMER: I DON'T OWN YUGIOH GX! 

**Some of you guys are gonna be sad or mad at me when you're done reading this chapter… **

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**Chapter 11**

Jaden stood out on the hotel balcony, lost in his thoughts.

_"Melody," he had said. "How did Nick overthrow _**him**_…?" _

_"He killed _**him**_, Jaden. Nick killed _**him**_ after you left," Melody whispered. _

_"He was only-!" _

_"Eight, I know. Nick seems to have more power than he lets on… what are you going to do about Alexis?" Melody answered. _

_"I won't put her in danger." _

_"Can you handle that Jaden?" Melody asked, concerned. _

That was the second time someone asked him that today. And he still didn't have an answer.

_"I don't know… but if she gets hurt because I was too weak to let her go…" _

_"Love isn't a weakness Jaden," Melody whispered. _

…………………………………..

_"Hey, Mindy. Is Alexis in there?" Jaden was at Alexis's room, talking to Mindy who opened the door. _

_"She's in the shower," Mindy yawned. "Do you want me to tell her that you're here?" _

_Jaden shook his head no. "I'll talk to her in the morning." _

But could he really? It had taken every single ounce of strength he had to knock on her door…

Jaden kneaded his forehead with his palms. He had had a massive headache since Haou had 'helped' him this afternoon. His other half hadn't been in a talkative mood either.

Jaden hadn't exactly tried to talk to him though. He had been focused on giving Alexis the cold shoulder all day. It raised a few eye-brows, but she was angry at him, so it worked.

_"If that's the way you're going to treat me, then maybe you should find a new girlfriend!" she snapped at him under her breath when he had flinched away from her touch for the billionth time. _

_"Maybe," Jaden agreed. "I'm getting sick of mine." _

_Okay, he knew that was low and harsh. Atticus was ready to strangle Jaden by this point and Alexis just looked hurt. Her face was pictured perfectly in his mind, looking so betrayed… _

Something warm was sliding down his cheek. Jaden felt it gingerly. It was a tear! _He was crying for Pete's sake! And he hadn't even done the worst thing to her yet! _

_"Love isn't a weakness Jaden." _

_Well it is to Nick, and he'll use it. I can't afford to be weak… the world can't afford me being weak… _

"Jaden?" a voice said from right behind him. He leapt a good foot into the air.

Jaden whipped around. It was Zane. "Hey Zane," Jaden said, his voice shaking a bit.

The older boy took in Jaden's appearance warily. Jaden imagined he must look like a disaster. He hid his eyes from Zane quickly.

Zane frowned and approached Jaden. "What's wrong?"

Jaden turned away, knowing his voice would shake if he answered again.

He felt Zane staring at him. "Why are you acting like that around Alexis, Jaden? Do you want to end your relationship?"

_No. But I have too. _

"…" Jaden remained silent as he fought back more tears. He didn't see Zane reach out and put his hand on his shoulder, so he jumped again.

"What is wrong with you Jaden?" Zane demanded in his even tone.

_Everything._

"If it's the whole cross-dimensional war, you don't have to worry. We'll protect you."

"No!" Jaden exclaimed, springing up.

Zane looked smug. "I guess you do know how to speak after all."

"Don't fight them, Zane. _Please!_ I don't want you guys involved!" Jaden begged.

"Is that why you're breaking up with Alexis? To protect her?"

"No," Jaden snarled.

"But you are leaving her?"

Cue the water-works.

"Are you crying Jaden?" Zane said, sounding concerned. "You can talk to me you know."

"Damn it, Zane! Just leave me alone!" Jaden shouted and walked away. He heard Zane sigh and start to follow him. Jaden weaved through the village based on instincts, very aware that Zane was trailing him. Well, he wasn't going anywhere that would be meaningful to Zane, so let him follow. Jaden stopped at the same place he had fallen when he was seven.

The whirlpool was gone, so that means the gate was closed and no unpleasant drop-ins from merpeople for awhile. Jaden touched the new railing gently, feeling the cold steel on his skin.

"Jaden?" Zane approached him again. "Talk to me."

"Why?" Jaden snapped.

"You can trust me Jaden. You revived me and healed my heart. I owe my life to you," Zane slowly answered.

Jaden snorted loudly. "You don't owe me anything. It was my fault you died in the first place."

"Yes, because you forced Aster and I to follow you into the Dark World and you forced me to electrocute myself in underground dueling and you forced me to challenge Yubel. When you look at it like that, it's all you're fault," Zane sarcastically replied.

"This is none of your business Zane," Jaden said in a deadly voice. Zane flinched, alarmed. He peered into Jaden's hidden eyes, obviously wondering if they were gold. Let him wonder.

"If it involves Alexis, it is. She's like my little sister Jaden. If the only reason you want to leave her is because you're trying to protect her, that decision is going to come and bite you in the ass. Whether by her or by Atticus, I can't tell you. You'll suffer too, like you are now," Zane threatened.

"Stop giving me crap and go bother someone else Zane," Jaden replied icily.

"Just listen to me Jaden. I'm not trying to bother you or threaten you. I'm giving you the facts." He sighed when Jaden turned away from him, emitting hostility. "Just don't make a choice you'll regret for the rest of your life, Jaden."

With that, the man walked away.

_Finally! _

**_Aren't you the least bit concerned about what he said? _**

_Yes, I am. Oh, hi Haou, nice of you to drop in. _

**_Ha-ha… You're scared. _**

_…. _

**_Jaden…. _**

_Yeah… _

**_Can we do this to her? _**

_'We'? _

**_I am a part of you Jaden. So naturally I am affected by your decisions. _**

_Fine. We have too. To protect her… to protect everyone… _

"Hey Jaden," Alexis said, sounding a bit waspish. They were standing in a pretty desolate clearing towards the outskirts of town. She was glaring at him, obviously still mad about how he had been acting all afternoon, flinching away from her and jumping down her throat every other second.

"Hey," he replied, his voice steady. His resolve was set. He had to do this.

"So what did you call me here for?" she wondered.

"I needed to talk to you about…" _Why is it so hard to say that word?! _"… us."

Alexis was all ears. "Well?" she said impatiently. Her eyes were sparkling, hinting her real feelings.

"Alexis… I…" Jaden started, grasping for the resolve he had seconds ago, but had left him when he saw that she was about to cry. _Was he making the right choice? _

**_Yes, we are,_**Haou assured him. Yeah, like that was reassuring.

But then his duel spirits agreed with him in his head and Jaden knew it had to be done. He just couldn't be so… so like Nick to Alexis. He didn't want to hurt her! But…

He _had_ to do it! He had to put Alexis out of danger! No matter how many times Jaden told himself that, he couldn't force the words to come. She was just standing there, his perfect little angel, waiting for him to speak. Finally, Haou added some of his coldness into the equation and Jaden could speak again. He turned to his love, his heart with finality and strength, "I'm leaving you. I don't love you. I never have."

Alexis just gazed up at him. "Then all of this… everything that happened between us… what was that?"

"I'm sorry if you thought it was love. I didn't think of it as that at all. You're," Jaden almost lost Haou's cold edge with this next phrase. "a phase."

He could tell that that hurt her, but she continued. "You told me you loved me, in more than just words Jaden. You gave me yourself; you were always so passionate about me. You can't fake something like that."

"I wasn't faking then. Now, I don't want you like that anymore. You're nothing to me," Jaden insisted, hating himself, but knowing he had to make Alexis hate him too… to protect her from Nick…

"You're breaking my heart," Alexis whispered, sending a shard of ice into Jaden's own damaged heart. "Don't you feel anything?"

"My heart can't break if it wasn't there in the first place," Jaden replied levelly. She was still looking into his eyes. Now a single tear was present in her eye. It fell slowly down her cheek and landed onto the earth as if in slow motion. Jaden wanted to give in, to comfort her, to tell her everything… but he would be dooming her if he did.

"You're right about one thing Jaden. You're just a phase. I'm waiting for my Jaden to come back," Alexis answered clearly through her tears that flowed freely now. "Maybe some day he will, but until then, you're not worth it."

Jaden blinked. "Don't hold your breath."

"If you really don't love me, then walk away. Just go Jaden or whoever you are," Alexis whimpered, closing her eyes tightly.

"Good bye Alexis," Jaden whispered before he turned away. He hadn't lied when he said his heart wasn't breaking, his heart was _dissolving. It felt like it was being torn apart by fire, leaving nothing behind but ashes. _

_His breathing came out very shallow as Alexis stood still and started to sob. That's when all hell broke loose in Jaden's mind. His grief and hatred towards Nick and himself started tearing apart at the seams that held his secret in check. _

**_Jaden! We have to get out of here! _**Haou commanded from his mind, forcing their legs to move faster.

_Jaden could feel it slithering free and winding around his consciousness, tearing it apart, wanting out. Wanting to destroy. His vision was distorted, but he could prevent it from breaking free… he just needed someplace away from here to stop… _

**_We have to move. If you lose it here, she'll get hurt and what we just did will be for naught. _**

Jaden started to full-out run when he rounded the first house he came to, charging through the crowds of DA students and tourists, past startled workers and others. His feet carried him to the cliff, which was mercifully empty since the whirlpool's absence wasn't attracting attention. He gripped the railing so tightly that his knuckles turned white and he was sure that his eyes were gold, but that didn't matter.

_We got away… we got away… she's safe… we got away… we got away from her… _

_The fiery pain that had engulfed his heart spread across his chest and weird images were flashing before his eyes. Mostly creatures and people that he didn't recognize… Alexis's face, hurt, alone, crying, appeared before him again and this time tears rolled down his cheek. _

_How could he have done something like this to her? He had hurt her beyond repair… she was broken and he just left her there… _

_His fists clenched the railing even tighter as his secret leaked out more and more, devouring his mind and thoughts. The railing turned to putty in his grasp and Jaden knew he had to get away… he had to get away… he had to get away… _

_He turned and ran, not knowing where he was going, just that he needed to get away. He needed to leave this world. He needed to be somewhere, anywhere, else! _

_Haou directed Jaden towards an alley so now they were making their way past mazes and a few residents who knew the shortcuts. _

**_Just a little farther. _**Haou promised.

_Something in the back of his head reminded him not to trust Haou so completely, but he didn't particularly care. He needed to get away… _

**_Here! This is where we can escape! Help me open the portal before it's too late for us! _**Haou demanded.

_Jaden barely heard him. He twisted at what little self-control he had left and manipulated the smallest amount of his power that he could. He ran through the small circular red-white-gold portal as fast as he could before the fire in his head obliterated everything. He caught sight of a destroyed little village before he fell to his knees with his hand over his heart. _

_"Alexis!" he screamed, making her name echo across the empty Dark World. He heard her name echoed over and over again before he lost control of his own body and everything disappeared in a brilliant gold-white light. _

"You have failed me, Atrus," a cold, dangerous voice whispered. It came from a throne in shadows in front of the merman. "I think that should result in your parent's deaths, don't you?"

"No!" Liz shrieked, sobbing again. "Please, Your Highness! Have mercy on them! We tried to capture Jaden, but he was too powerful! We did what you told us to do! We acted like we betrayed him… we hurt him! We made his power less stable! Please, we had a deal! You said you wouldn't kill our parents if we confronted him!"

"Your Highness," Adria begged, actually deciding not to make it sound like an insult this time. "She is right. You said that you would release them if we helped you. We cannot leave to torment him again for a while… please just let them go."

There was a high, cold laugh that sent shivers down their spines. "Guards!" called the Queen.

The shark creatures came into view with a mermaid in their arms. She was a young mermaid, around forty years old, and she twisted away from their grasp to sweep up the mer-children in her arms.

"Serena!" they all cried and held her.

"Atrus, Liz, Adria. You're alright!" she exclaimed.

"Now," the Queen continued. "I did not bring you here to deal with reunions. I brought you here to show these children what happens when they fail."

The guards advanced on Serena, who pushed the children behind her.

"No! Don't hurt her!" Atrus panicked, trying to get around Liz's mother.

"Mom!" Liz hollered as another guard restrained the children.

"Leave her alone! Please! We'll capture Jaden! We'll do anything! Please don't hurt her!" Adria pleaded.

"Yes, you will do anything I please. But you must be punished first," the Queen laughed evilly as the guards advanced on Serena.

The mermaid turned towards her friends and child with her last words. "I love you all. Never stop fighting for what's right. Stay strong."

Then with a quick move of the guard's tapered fingers, Serena was gone forever.

* * *

**Sad, huh? Atrus, Liz, and Adria were only betraying Jaden to prevent their parents from dying, and yet Serena gets killed anyway. **

**Jaden loses control **

**Alexis is broken, sobbing, in the middle of a desolate clearing **

**Everyone will probably hate Nick now, and there's the appearance of the mysterious Queen of Everlost that so desperately wants to destroy Evermore. **

**Quote: **

"Did you lose someone?" asked a woman with long black hair and purple eyes. She was wearing a long, pale blue gown and looked to be around 30.

"Yes, ma'am," Jesse replied. "We're looking for our friend-"

"Jaden Yuki?" the woman cut in.

They all blinked at her.

"Who are you?" Jim asked. Karen growled in agreement.

"My name is Mystic."

"How do you know Jaden?" Axel demanded.

The woman smiled mysteriously and gestured for them to enter her home. They all glanced around cautiously, but entered the small home.


	13. What?

**DISCLAIMER: I DON'T OWN YUGIOH GX! **

**I'M STARTING TO GET WRITER'S BLOCK… SO I DON'T KNOW HOW GOOD THIS CHAPTER WILL BE. I KNOW WHERE I WANT TO GO, BUT GETTING TO THAT POINT ISN'T AS EASY… **

**Chapter 12**

"Where are Jaden and Alexis?" Mindy pouted, folding her arms across her chest angrily. "I told Alexis we had to be back at the hotel 30 minutes ago! The school tour's starting in an hour!"

Jesse glanced at the angry girl, holding his hand up. "Beats me! I haven't seen hide or hair of Jaden all day either!"

Zane frowned, thinking quickly. "I think I know where Alexis may be. I'll be right back."

"I'll come with you Zane!" Atticus volunteered.

Zane nodded and the friends walked away from the hotel lobby.

"So how do you know where my 'lil sis is Zane?" Atticus wondered.

Zane told Atticus about running into Jaden last night.

"HE'S GOING TO WHAT?!!?" Atticus roared, going into big-brother mode.

"Calm down, Atticus," Zane answered. "I saw a meadow not too far away, and I'm sure Jaden would want some privacy in case Alexis starts going to pieces on him."

Atticus took off before Zane could even finish his sentence. He sighed. "Well I warned Jaden that this would bite him in the ass."

He ran after the pop-star wannabe. They arrived at the meadow in record time and spotted Alexis easily. She was facing opposite to them, not moving.

"Lexis!" Atticus called. He ran to his little sister and threw his arms around her. Zane ventured closer and saw she was sobbing her heart out.

"What happened Alexis?" Zane calmly asked, he didn't think that Jaden was shallow enough to leave her alone in this state.

"He-he-he's gone!" Alexis sobbed. "I d-d-don't kn-know w-w-w-what's w-wrong with m-me! M-m-my h-heart f-f-feels l-l-like it's t-t-torn a-apart! I-I loved him! I still do!"

She broke down and latched herself onto Zane instead, and his shirt was soaked in a matter of seconds.

"He's g-gone! H-h-he t-t-told me h-he d-didn't l-l-love me! Th-that I w-was j-just a phase!" Alexis sobbed. "What went w-w-wrong?!"

"I'm going to KILL THAT LITTLE BASTARD!!" Atticus screamed. "Where did he go, Lex?!"

She shook her head, her hair flying in all directions. "H-h-he l-l-left w-when I-I told him t-too. That w-was h-h-hours a-ago!"

Atticus took off running, pulling Alexis and Zane behind him. They arrived back at the hotel, startling several students when they saw the 'Queen of Obelisk' crying her eyes out.

"Alexis!" Mindy and Jasmine screamed.

"What's wrong Alexis?" Hassleberry asked, looking nervous.

She shook her head and Mindy and Jasmine embraced their friend. "Shh, shh, it's alright Alexis, shh."

"Does ANYONE know where Jaden Yuki is?!" Atticus hollered.

A first-year looked at him and whimpered, "He ran past me a few minutes ago."

Atticus rounded on him. "WHERE WAS HE GOING?!"

The boy flinched. "He was heading down Sea Castle Street, towards that purple and blue house."

Atticus flew at top speed away.

"ATTICUS!" Zane roared, chasing him. "Wait, you can't go attack him!"

Too late. The Gx gang raced after them, except for Alexis and her friends.

"What's going on?!" Bastion demanded when they got closer to Zane.

"Jaden just dumped Alexis and now Atticus wants to kill him."

"WHAT?!" Chazz hollered. "IF HE HURT HER- WAIT UP ATTICUS! I WANT A PIECE OF THAT JERK!"

Syrus bonked Chazz on the head, "Back off Chazz. Don't you think that there is some kind of reason behind Jaden suddenly dumping someone he was in love with?"

They all nodded except Atticus, who was too far ahead. The teen stopped in front of the small two-level purple and blue house and started yelling random threats into the air. They caught up to him as everyone gave him weird looks, thinking he was demented.

Jim waved dismissively at the crowd of gawkers. The woman who owned the house came out to investigate.

"Sorry for the noise ma'am," Jesse apologized.

"Did you lose someone?" asked the woman with long black hair and purple eyes. She was wearing a long, pale blue gown and looked to be around 30.

"Yes, ma'am," Jesse replied. "We're looking for our friend-"

"Jaden Yuki?" the woman cut in.

They all blinked at her.

"Who are you?" Jim asked. Karen growled in agreement.

"My name is Mystic."

"How do you know Jaden?" Axel demanded.

The woman smiled mysteriously and gestured for them to enter her home. They all glanced around cautiously, but nodded.

She closed the door of her purple and blue home and examined them all carefully. Then she made 'follow me' motions and walked up the stairs to there immediate left.

They climbed up noiselessly and followed the woman into a dark room. She closed the door when they were all inside. Once they were, she went around lighting candles.

"What's all this about?" Axel demanded, feeling nervous.

She folded her hands in front of her and sat down neatly in an arm chair. She gestured for them to do the same. "How much do you know about Jaden Yuki?"

"Why do you need to know?" Zane replied before anyone else could.

Her hypnotic purple eyes locked on him. "I don't. I know Jaden Yuki very well."

"How are you related to Jaden?" Bastion inquired.

She laughed a silvery laugh. "He dislikes me greatly."

"Why?" Jim asked.

"Because_ I know_ dear child."

* * *

Alexis looked up from her pillow. It had been dramatically reduced to a sponge for her tears for the last five minutes. She had the strangest feeling just now. She felt like something precious was lost and dying. She stood up with an urgent need to move. Mindy and Jasmine followed her silently, wondering if she was ok. 

She felt like that precious thing was beckoning to her, telling her that it needed her help. She followed her instincts blindly, focusing on putting one foot in front of the other.

_Alexis! _

She heard something shout out her name in such agony, she started running. It sounded like an echo in a haunting way. She raced towards the stairs and started going up four steps at a time. The feeling was telling her to get Pegasus. It needed help.

_Alexis! _

The echo repeated like a ghost. She recognized the voice this time, however distorted it sounded.

_Jaden!_ She silently screamed. She flung open the door to the stairs and found Pegasus talking with one of his guards.

"Ms. Rhodes!" Pegasus smiled. "How are you and Jaden doing?"

Mindy and Jasmine flinched, expecting Alexis to start crying again, but Alexis was done with tears. She was going to be strong on her own now.

"Jaden's in trouble. We need to go now. I can't explain how, but I know something's wrong! We have to hurry!" Alexis said strongly.

Pegasus nodded to his guards and they stayed behind. "Show me where he is."

Alexis grabbed his hand and slid down the railing of the stairs, leaving Mindy and Jasmine behind and reminding her of when she and Jaden had done that at the Obelisk Dorm a few days ago… before all of this started happening.

_Alexis! _

_Jaden, I'm coming!_ She shouted in her head, but knew he couldn't hear her.

They landed neatly at the lobby of the hotel and dashed out. Alexis's warnings told her where to go. She passed the purple-blue house and ran for a few more blocks with Pegasus keeping an even pace behind her.

_Please hang in there Jaden! _Alexis begged.

_

* * *

_

_Please hang in there Jaden! _

He cracked open one of his brown eyes, exhausted past movement. _Alexis?_

His vision was fuzzy. There was nothing around him. No life. The grass that had been below his feet was gone. The few trees that had been next to him were gone. The buildings that had been closest to him vanished as if they were never there. Everything farther away was charred, crumbling or dying.

He had used up almost all of his energy forcing his secret back down, and yet he had still re-destroyed most of the Dark World. Thanks goodness that no one was here anymore.

Then Jaden remembered what had woke him up. Alexis had called out to him. But how had he heard her?

_I thought I broke our connection as Guardian and Angel. _

**_Some things cannot be broken Jaden. Love is one of them, I would know, being unable to take over while you are in love. _**

_We need to move. If she's calling me, something's wrong. _

**_Then move. _**

_I can't. _

_JADEN! _Alexis screamed again.

Jaden panicked slightly at the desperate tone in her voice. Ok, time to move. His hand twitched feebly. Great, just great!

"King Jaden Yuki?" someone asked.

_Who the hell is here?! How did they survive my latest… err… identity crisis? _

The healing-spirit from the gate kneeled down in front of his eyes. She smiled at him. "You're alright!"

He tried to shack his head, failed, tried to speak, and failed too.

"Maybe not," said another voice. The water-spirit, called Maiden of Aqua he remembered, appeared in his line of vision. "Can you open a gate?"

He stared at her blankly.

"Three blinks for yes, four for no."

He blinked three times.

"Good. We can carry you back to your world," she continued.

He must have been giving her a weird look, because she stopped and asked, "What? Do I have something on my face?"

The healing-spirit laughed. "I bet he's wondering why we're here."

Three blinks again.

"King Jaden Yuki, we never left your side! We told you in the gate that we would follow you wherever you went. What you did for all of us… that is a debt we would earnestly like to pay you back."

If he could have, Jaden would have groaned. Why didn't anyone get that it was his fault that they had needed rescuing in the first place?

"We'll disappear in your world of course, but we can at least make sure you can get back!" Maiden of Aqua cheered.

_JADEN! _

He sighed as they lifted him up. Jaden's eyes flashed gold as he opened the gate. The arms that were supporting him disappeared and he tumbled to the alley floor, waiting for his angel to come save him.

* * *

Alexis rounded the alley corners at top speeds, occasionally sending pedestrians flying out of her way. She was panicky, felt sick, and couldn't help but wonder _why_ she was going after someone who had just broken her heart!

But her legs carried farther into the twists and turns of this maze until she saw him. He was lying on the alley floor, not moving.

A strangled cry broke from her lips and she dropped down to his side. She scooped up his torso and held him on her lap, calling his name. Something flashed in his eyes when she touched him. That sinister something was right there, boiling below the surface.

She could feel it running throw his veins. She held him tighter and the sinister presence got stronger. Jaden's eyes examined her very closely, wondering what her intentions were. She smiled at him weakly as she fought back tears again, remembering that this wasn't her Jaden anymore. As if to solidify that thought, Jaden tried to pry himself out of her arms.

**(Brief Jaden POV) **

I was suddenly in Alexis's arms. I could tell that she could feel my repressed secret as the aftereffects fled my body. But her touch made everything jump into sharp focus. I couldn't be with her…

Her voice was forever hardwired into my brain as my 'angel' and her eyes still made me melt. Her touch was soft and caring, so tender even though I had hurt her. My instincts made alarm bells blare off at the back of mind. My body, so charged with the sinister presence, took her touch as a threat and recoiled from her. But that tiny amount of energy that I used instinctively cost me. I felt the alley start to spin and the colors merged into a giant swirl…

**(Normal POV) **

Jaden suddenly went limp in Alexis's arms, a small sigh escaping from his lips. Alexis felt suddenly drained, overwhelmed with worry about her true love. He was fighting so hard to keep something from them, she still knew that, and yet it cost him so much.

So what happened to her Jaden… that soft-hearted, over-confident, goofy teen that she fell in love with? What is so terrible that he doesn't want her to know about? What was causing him to go back in his shell that she had just started to pry him out of? They had been so happy together… hadn't they?

_I remember that Jaden was indecisive at first… _

_But when we were together… he seemed so happy… he started to smile and laugh again… until the messenger came. Then he started acting strange… because he was nervous about the war probably… _

_And then we met the mermaids and he became outright hostile against us…And I've been able to feel this sinister presence in him from day one… _

_And then we met Melody, she seemed to make him happier, a little less tense. Then there was Nick… and that thing in Jaden acted up again, Nick's eyes had flashed… Jaden had seemed terrified of Nick… _

_And then he dumped me…Nick seems to play a big role in all of this… I guess I'll have to find him and talk to him, _Alexis thought.

"Miss Rhodes?" Pegasus asked, snapping her out of her thoughts. "We should get him some help."

She nodded, unable to do much else. He lifted Jaden onto his back, pausing slightly when he touched the boy.

_That's strange, _Pegasus thought. _This evil in him is getting worse… I wonder, did he lose control? _

They started walking back where they had come from. They were silent for a while; Pegasus seemed to be absorbed in his own thoughts as well.

"What do you think happened to him?" Alexis asked finally.

Pegasus glanced at her and shook his head sadly. "I can only guess. I would say that he probably was attacked again by one of the Evermores. He doesn't seem physically injured after all, probably just more of their unique brand of dueling."

"What I don't understand," Alexis continued slowly, watching him closely, "is why they just don't drag him back into their world if they already know he is stronger than they are at dueling. Or why they just don't use one of us…"

Her voice trailed off as she realized what she was saying. "_He's trying to protect us from them! That's why he's been acting like a jerk to us! He wants them to think we're not important to him so they won't target us!" _

"You're very perceptive Alexis," Pegasus answered. "I'm surprised that you didn't think of this a long time ago."

"But I thought that… that there was something else that he was hiding from us… not that he was just trying to protect us…"

Something appeared in Pegasus's eyes… was it a flash of guilt?

_Is Jaden right when he thinks he shouldn't tell her? She loves him so much and she worries about him… shouldn't she know her role in all of this? Wouldn't it be safer for her?_ Pegasus wondered.

"Well, we can figure out what happened to him when he wakes up," Pegasus continued, changing the subject.

She sighed and agreed as they finally came out into the street. The pair started walking after they got their bearing. It took Alexis a second to figure out that they weren't going to the hospital; they were heading back for Melody's home.

"Why are we-?" she started, but Pegasus cut me off.

"We don't want to attract unwanted attention to him," Pegasus answered. "And to have him try to explain to his doctors that he was attacked by mythical creatures would end up in him being shoved into some insane asylum."

"Oh," she said, feeling stupid for not thinking about that. "But do you think that Melody's mom will believe us instead?"

Pegasus nodded to her. "Oh, yes. She will believe him." _She was there when Jaden was little after all. _

Alexis didn't like the way Pegasus said that, it sounded like he was implying that she knew something about Jaden that Alexis didn't.

When they arrived on the threshold of Melody's home, the door burst open and a woman with long black hair and purple eyes greeted them. She smiled and swept them into the room.

The rest of the gang was in there as well, looking perplexed at the woman. Then they saw Alexis, Jaden, and Pegasus and swarmed around them like fan-girls to Orlando Bloom.

The first words out of anyone, was Atticus shouting, "Damn! Someone beat me to killing him!"

Alexis smacked him over the back of the head as Pegasus set Jaden down carefully on the sofa in the room next to us. Jaden didn't wake up with the movement, his brow furrowed a bit, but that was it.

"What happened to him?" Aster asked Pegasus.

He shook his head and threw up his hands. "I don't know!"

Melody came running out of the kitchen with what looked like lemonade. "What happened to my cousin Alexis?!"

She sounded so worried about him, and there was something else in her voice. Was it fear?

"We found him in an alley, he was on the ground and he wasn't moving. I called out his name but he didn't reply, he just looked at me like he couldn't speak." Alexis recounted the rest of the scene to her friends quickly as the woman peered over at Jaden.

She laughed suddenly and exclaimed, "My! He has grown since I last saw him!"

"Yeah, shut-up," Melody snarled at the woman. Alexis blinked. She had thought Melody wasn't the type to snap at someone like that. But then again she had thought the same thing about Jaden…

"Melody and Jaden don't like Mystic," Jesse explained, pointing at the woman. "We don't know why, but she's giving me the wrong vibes… like she doesn't exactly seem right, does she? I mean… if Melody doesn't like her, why does she trust the woman to come into the house while her mother is away?"

"Why are you guys here anyway?" Alexis wondered.

"The lady brought us into her house and said she knew Jaden and then she got a faraway look in her eyes and said that we had to go somewhere else now, something about the connection between Guardian and Angel being stronger than what she originally read." Jesse started.

"So she left the house and we decided to follow her. She knocked on Melody's door and Melody answered and glared at Mystic like she was the devil, but she let her come in," Syrus continued for Jesse. "And then Mystic just turns back around after explaining all this mystical nonsense to Melody and she whips the door open and there you guys were."

Alexis pinched the bridge of her nose, trying to sort this all out. Melody was giving Mystic the dagger glare again.

_How dare that vile creature meddle in my cousin's life again!_ Melody thought angrily. _She should be minding her own business instead of trying to weasel her way into my cousin's secret by using his friends. She knows that she freaked us all out when she came to visit the night after Nick and Jaden fought. _

_She started listing all of the things that had ever happened to Jaden in his life. She spoke about the merpeople, which only the children knew about, she talked about Jaden's temporary lose of control in Everlost, she spoke of Jaden's and Nick's fight just now. She had scared both of us. _

_…But she can tell us what happened so I know whether or not my cousin is simply drained from the water duel still or his secret started to escape again… _

There was a tinkling and the sound of shattering glass. Mystic had just knocked over her glass of lemonade. "Oh dear me! I'm terribly sorry about that Melody. Would you please help me find a towel to clean this up?"

Melody glared at her again, and she answered through clenched teeth, "Don't worry about it, I'll clean this all up, I just have to go find a towel. Stay here, its fine."

Melody went through the doorway into the laundry room to find a towel. Mystic turned back to Jaden's friends quickly, suddenly all business. "Now are you his angel then?" she asked Alexis.

Alexis sweat-dropped at the nonsense flying from her mouth. "Err… what?"

The woman stopped laughing. "You mean you don't know? I can see the boy and this man, Pegasus, explaining it to you though…"

Pegasus looked surprised. "What do you mean? We were on a boat in the middle of the ocean when we told these people what was going on with Jaden!"

Mystic glared at him. She wagged an accusing finger at the man. "You know exactly what is wrong with Jaden though! You know that he must have-!"

"I do not know what you're talking about!" Pegasus cut her off swiftly for Jaden's sake.

She smiled evilly. "Ahh… it is a secret I see?"

Pegasus didn't have to act confused, this woman had him completely lost.

"What are you talking about?" Axel input.

"Oh dear, I never did get around to telling you children how I know Jaden, did I?" Mystic laughed. "I am from Evermore, so naturally I sought him out before I decided to stay here and live."

The statement took a few minutes to sink in, and Melody came back with her towel and into the spiraling silence. "What?"

"She just said-" Aster started.

"GET AWAY FROM JADEN YOU DEMON!" Melody suddenly screamed, seeing Mystic hovering inches from Jaden.

They all stared at the girl, who was red in the face. She charged up to Mystic and planted herself firmly in-between her and Jaden.

Mystic looked smug. "Fine then, I shall tell _all _of you what happened to Jaden here and then be on my way."

Melody and Pegasus caught her tone. _Oh crap!_ Melody thought. _She's going to blurt out Jaden's secret to everyone! _

As if the gang sensed that something dark and mysterious was going to happen, they leaned in and became silent.

_NO! No, no, no, no, no!!! _Melody mentally screamed.

Pegasus was thinking along the same lines. If it was anyone other than Jaden that told them his secret, his friends would probably run off screaming. It had to be Jaden. He had to explain it all to them, he had to tell them everything that he felt during his past, and **nothing **could be left out if they were to still trust Jaden!

* * *

**Cliff hanger… yeah!**

**Quote from next chapter: **

**Nick's eyes turned violet. Jaden flinched and his hands curled into fists. Nick laughed. **

**"So here we are again Jaden. You caught me off-guard last time, but now I'm prepared. Now you have no chance against my power!" Nick cackled. **

**Jaden glanced at the door where his friends were sleeping behind. **

**"Yes, Jaden, I won't hurt your little pets or your precious angel if you listen to me." **

**Jaden's eyes snapped back onto Nick. He stepped to the side, blocking Nick from the door. "You'll have to get through me first." **

**With that cheery thought, Jaden's eyes flashed and turned gold**.


	14. Not again

**DISCLAIMER: I DON'T OWN YUGIOH GX!**

**I don't have writer's block anymore (well for the most part)! All I had to do was read about fiftybillion other fics! Yeah free time!**

**Chapter 13 **

Mystic looked smug. "Fine then, I shall tell _all _of you what happened to Jaden here and then be on my way."

Melody and Pegasus caught her tone. _Oh crap!_ Melody thought. _She's going to blurt out Jaden's secret to everyone! _

As if the gang sensed that something dark and mysterious was going to happen, they leaned in and became silent.

_NO! No, no, no, no, no!!! _Melody mentally screamed.

Pegasus was thinking along the same lines. If it was anyone other than Jaden that told them his secret, his friends would probably run off screaming. It had to be Jaden. He had to explain it all to them, he had to tell them everything that he felt during his past, and **nothing **could be left out if they were to still trust Jaden!

Mystic smirked at Jaden's secret-keepers. "As I have said, and as this young human told you, I am a demon from Evermore. I can see the haunts of people's pasts and I feed from their fear and regret. And let me tell you, your friend, or should I call him the Supreme King, has a past that would make millions of dollars if it was made into a book. It's so full of darkness and fear that I could live forever just if I had him by my side. But, that's besides the point."

Her eyes glowed eerily. "All of you, I can feel it. You're worried about your friend here, you especially angel." She looked pointedly at Alexis. "You're worried that he's hiding something from you, you can feel what he is hiding from you all whenever you touch him. You want him still, your heart is broken beyond repair by what he did, but you only show regret that he couldn't trust you with his secret."

Melody and Pegasus shared a perplexed glance. _What was she talking about? _

Alexis and the Gx gang knew that she was talking about Jaden breaking up with Alexis, so they listened carefully.

"He is in love with you too angel. How could he not be? As you have already divulged, he left you to protect you. Not from this 'war' that he told you about, but from something much worse." Mystic closed her eyes with sheer pleasure. "His heart is so torn apart and black that it is like it's not there anymore. I can feel all of the turmoil spreading across his mind, I can feel his panic and fear building up. He wasn't only breaking your heart, angel, when he told you good-bye. He maimed himself much worse. He had to live with the guilt of betraying the one person he loves so much that he would give up his life for her. Your tears fueled his guilt, his pain, and darkness overtook him."

"Haou?!" Jim interrupted, staring at Jaden. "He said that Haou was still in his mind! He wasn't lying after all!"

Melody was giving Mystic a pleading look, saying, _please go with it! Please! _

The demon smirked and continued, "Yes, this darkness was like the very one that overtook him in the Dark World. He removed himself from society to fight off this darkness without causing anyone harm. Now he is weak from his fight. He is in emotional turmoil, so I can sense that he is back to normal."

"He was just trying to protect me?" Alexis whispered again.

Mystic smirked at the sorrow she was showing. "No, my dear. He wasn't _trying _to protect you He _was_ protecting you. Jaden… Jaden could feel the presence of his other half stirring ever since the messenger attacked him on the beach. He knew it was only a matter of time before he lost control. He sensed that it would happen when he met his other cousin, causing confusion for you all I can see. So he broke off with you to protect you when the darkness did resurface, just in case while in his absence, the messenger would appear. In this case, she would have no reason to attack you."

"We should have believed him when he said that Haou was still in his mind," Syrus whispered.

Bastion nodded. "I wonder what caused them to split again. I mean the two different sides of Jaden."

Zane was in agreement with them. "I would think that it happened in the gate, since he never wants to talk about it."

Mystic started to make her way towards the door. Melody followed her quickly. When they reached the door, she bowed to Mystic respectfully. "Thank you for not revealing my cousin's secret," she said.

Mystic smiled. "Why would I? It causes so much more negative emotions, worry, guilt, and fear, in his friends this way. And they are even more in the dark now than they were before, deluded with these half-truths. There was so much misery in that room that it can keep me fueled for the next hundred years."

"Umm," Melody faltered. "A simple your welcome would have been nice."

Mystic bowed back to her. "You are welcome, young one."

With that, she strode out of the door and back towards her home. Melody sighed and turned her pink eyes back towards the group. They were all staring at Jaden, at a loss for what to do.

"Well… she said that Jaden will be alright, so we should probably just relax until he wakes up," Melody suggested. "So… you guys can stay overnight if you want, we've got a few guest rooms. Nick may or may not show up, so I wouldn't suggest any of you take his room… Alexis can sleep with me, I've got a bunk-bed in my room."

Melody dutifully showed them each to their guest rooms and pulled out a bunch of spare mattresses and blankets. By the time they were all settled in, it was around 10:00 pm and someone was pounding on the door.

"I'll get it!" Alexis called upstairs to Melody, who was attempting to coax Karen into her make-shift bed of blankets.

"Thanks!" Melody answered back while Jim took pity on her and placed the croc on the bed.

Alexis opened the door cautiously. A man with short spiky black hair and blue eyes was at the doorway. "Hello angel," Nick Yuki said. He walked into his home and glanced at Jaden collapsed on the couch still. They had covered him up with blankets and put a pillow under his head so that he would be more comfortable.

Nick's eyes gleamed as if the sight contained valuable information. "When did this happen to him?"

Alexis hesitated, once again unsure if she should trust Nick. "This afternoon, he'll be okay. He just got a little overwhelmed with everything that's going on." _That's true enough,_ Alexis thought.

Nick smiled a vampire smile. "So have you been taking care of your boyfriend all day?"

Alexis let her eyes narrow; she didn't like this guy's tone. "He's not my boyfriend." Jaden was much more to her. And, technically, he was her fiancé.

"Really?" Nick asked, looking disgruntled. "I could have sworn there was something going on between the two of you."

"There used to be," Alexis whispered before she could stop herself.

"Used to?" Nick prompted.

"We broke up," Alexis simply said in a tone that suggested she didn't want to talk about it.

Nick suddenly lit up, as if he just learned that Christmas was happening twice this year. "You broke up this afternoon."

It wasn't a question.

"So that's what I sensed…" he trailed off and headed upstairs, leaving Alexis dumbstruck.

"Nick!" Melody jumped. "You're home!"

He nodded and told her goodnight before going into his room.

Alexis gravitated slowly towards the stairs, wanting to talk to Nick, but half-afraid to do so.

She sighed and started her ascent up the stairs. Melody shot up when Alexis knocked on Nick's door. Nick answered instantaneously. He appeared in his blue T-shirt and jeans.

"What would you like, angel?" Nick politely questioned.

"First, why do you keep calling me angel?" Alexis demanded not so politely. "My name is Alexis."

Nick nodded towards her. "I'm sorry if I offended you by calling you angel. It just seemed appropriate. Around here we call soul mates by guardian and angel."

"Wait… so you thought I was Jaden's soul mate?" Alexis said, caught off-guard.

"Of course, didn't you?" Nick answered, a bit of an evil gleam entering his eyes. Alexis didn't notice that though.

"I… I don't know if I believe in soul mates," Alexis dodged the question.

Nick smiled a dazzling smile at her. "Don't believe in what you can't see?"

Alexis felt her cheeks flush. "Yes I do! I just don't know…"

"I don't want to make you feel uncomfortable, Alexis," Nick input.

"No… it's okay," Alexis replied, getting side-tracked.

"Good-night, Alexis," Nick smiled, closing the door.

"'Night," she responded, walking to Melody's room. She got into her bunk when she realized that she hadn't asked Nick what she wanted to know. He had side-tracked her! Alexis smacked her fore-head with her palm, frustrated and exhausted beyond trying to sort this all out. So fell asleep in her clothes.

* * *

Jaden groaned and rolled over, blinking in the feeble dawn light. His body hurt all over, like he was just a mass of bruises. He pushed himself up slowly, recognizing Melody's home quickly. He was covered in a sheet and there was a pillow below him. He had to talk to Pegasus before anyone else questioned him, to find out what the game-designer had thought up to hide the truth. He stood up shakily and turned his attention away from the window. Nick was at the top of the stairs, glaring down at him. Jaden froze. 

The older male walked down the steps slowly, and Jaden walked over towards him carefully. They met a few feet apart in the hallway before the kitchen and the guest rooms.

Nick smirked at him evilly.

_Shit._

* * *

Melody groaned and woke up as if someone had shouted in her ear. She ran a finger through her red and brown hair, moving quietly towards the door and out so quietly so she wouldn't wake Alexis, who seriously needed a good rest. 

Then she took in what was in front of her. Jaden was awake, standing a few inches away from Nick. They were right in each other's faces.

_Shit. _

Nick's eyes turned violet. Jaden flinched and his hands curled into fists. Nick laughed.

"So here we are again Jaden. You caught me off-guard last time, but now I'm prepared. Now you have no chance against my power!" Nick cackled.

Jaden glanced at the door where his friends were sleeping behind.

"Yes, Jaden, I won't hurt your little pets or your precious angel if you listen to me."

Jaden's eyes snapped back onto Nick. He stepped to the side, blocking Nick from the door. "You'll have to get through me first."

With that cheery thought, Jaden's eyes flashed and turned gold. Nick smirked as the air charged with that forbidden, and undeniable, power.

"JADEN! NICK! NO!" Melody screamed from the top of the stairs. She flew into the hall, but Nick raised his hand and she stopped.

_What did Nick say to make Jaden even consider doing this?!_ She panicked.

Jaden's friends must have heard her outcry, because they burst out of the door and Alexis charged out of Melody's room. They all were focused on Jaden and Nick inches from each other's faces, both of their eyes different colors. It was like everything had frozen, even time itself.

No one moved or spoke. The only thing that existed was the two evils before them. Haou and whatever the hell Nick was. The air around them even seemed hostile and the hairs on the back of their necks stood on end.

They could practically see the hatred that ran through the cousin's blood as they glared each other down. When Nick smirked, it seemed as though the world was going to end. Haou Jaden frowned at Nick, his gold eyes never leaving the violet ones.

The air suddenly _did_ start to change. Blue, gold, violet, red, and white sparks filled the room as everything twisted, and they were all engulfed in a brilliant pillar of light. Jaden seemed to come to his senses because he looked around in alarm and pulled off his jean jacket that he had been wearing.

That action confused them, but at least he was _moving_.

Jaden knew what Nick was trying to do. He was trying to force them all into his world. But Nick didn't have experience with moving this much people, so Jaden discovered that he could manipulate where they all ended up. He separated Nick from them, and then he made himself go with his friends before he felt the all too familiar searing pain that racked his body whenever he traveled to a new world and started adapting to the situation.

His bones felt like they had been set fire and his back ached as if an anvil had fallen on it. Then everything was lost in the gate as they emerged in a new world, in Evermore.

_I'm really sick of new worlds,_ Jaden thought before he and his friends fell unconscious.

**

* * *

**

**Here we go again! QUOTES:**

The fire seared the earth and it crumbled, sending Alexis, who was nearest the edge since the enemy had dropped her, tumbling into the abyss to meet her death.

"I was really hoping I could break it to you guys without something traumatic this time!" Jaden said in an annoyed voice before he whipped off his jacket a dove off the cliff after Alexis.


	15. Dragon fire

**DISCLAIMER: I DON'T OWN YUGIOH GX!**

****

**Chapter 14 **

"Jaden," Neos said in Jaden's mind.

_Hmm? _Jaden replied, half-asleep still.

"We, the neospacions and Yubel that is, cannot appear in this realm. We do not belong here. We belong in the space realms. So we cannot help you here. Winged Kuriboh may be able to appear because he is your duel-spirit, but otherwise, we cannot. You're on your own. Good luck, we can't talk after this."

_Neos! Yubel!_ Jaden commanded. He got no response; their link had been terminated until Jaden came back to Earth.

**_Jaden,_** you-know-who said.

_What Haou? _Jaden responded, seeing only black since his eyes were closed. He hurt all over again.

**_There's someone standing right over you. Don't panic!_** He added when Jaden almost jumped.

_Are they an enemy? _Jaden asked, feeling more concerned for his friends.

**_I don't know. But they are definitely a creature of Evermore. I can feel their aura pulsing. _**

_I'll take your word for it. Where are they? _

**_Three O' clock, _**Haou responded quickly, **_and leaning over you, so grab them, or should I? _**

_I've got it covered, _Jaden waspishly sighed.

Now that he knew someone was there, he could feel their breath on his face. _Sorry dude, _Jaden thought absently as his hand snatched out. He grabbed a smooth hand and leapt up, twisting it behind the person's back and forcing it to the ground.

This all happened so fast that the creature didn't even have time to scream before it was eating dirt. Jaden took this chance to see where he was. He was in a golden meadow that ended with cliffs to his right and left, but stretched onward before him. He smiled, for once, he had appeared where he needed to be in a different world.

The creature below him shifted in pain, making Jaden focus on it again. He pinned it down with his legs and then pulled it's head back with his free hand.

"Who are you?!" he demanded. The creature was a male, Jaden could see that in his red eyes. Jaden noticed the small horns on his head and his talons. He had also missed the tail that was pinned below the strangers own body. He was another imperfect human-dragon combo created and then tossed aside by Nick.

"Don't hurt me Guardian!" the dragon-man cried out.

Jaden's eyes narrowed and he twisted the man's arms harder. The creature screamed in pain, but Jaden knew his friends wouldn't wake up for another ten minutes, so he was safe. "I asked you your name! Now you can tell me how you know who I am!"

"I-I'm Caravelon, Caravelon Ukial, sir!" the dragon-man yelled in agony. "I know who you are because of your markings!"

"My what?" Jaden asked.

"Your sword, Guardian, it has your symbol on it!" Caravelon cried. "And… your colors."

Jaden glanced down at his side, sure enough; he had somehow obtained a sword in the gate with a weird symbol on the diamond… as well as a few other things he just now noticed. Damn stupid adaptations that felt natural. Jaden's brown eyes swept over his friends quickly, they all had swords too. Ok, maybe he'll take back that last comment on adaptations, they all somehow got swords.

"Did **_he_** send you?!" Jaden demanded. "Are you working for **_him_**?!"

"N-no! **_He_** did want me though! When I was still human! **_He_** kidnapped me from my home and my children and tried to make me into one of the messengers. I didn't work completely, as you can see!" Caravelon screamed as Jaden twisted his arm again. "**_He _**sent me out of the castle after **_he_** killed Overlord Charles Yuki-AHHHHHHHHHHHH!"

Jaden had unconsciously twisted the creature's arm until it popped out of it's socket when he heard his father's name. "No," he whispered, his voice flat. "What did you say the old Overlord's name was?!"

The creature was sobbing in the dirt. "C-Charles Y-Yuki, s-sir! His name was Charles Yuki!"

Jaden released the dragon-man without realizing it. His hands hung limply by his side and he stared straight ahead. "B-but he died… he died, I saw it on that tape when I was ten…"

**_Flashback Jaden's POV _**

_"Mom, why did you bring me here?" I asked, glancing around the dimly lit room. My mother was crying suddenly. "What's wrong?" I held her close until her sobs subsided. _

_She smiled sadly at me and replied, "Jaden, I think it's time you know how your father died." _

_I was shocked. Never in my nine father-less years did she even mention something like this. She had told me that he had been struck by 'black lightning' and died. That was it. _

_"W-what do you mean?" I stammered, feeling dizzy. _

_"In all of these years in this huge home, in my success at Kaiba Corp, I have neglected showing you what happened all those years ago… Kaiba's wife, Serenity, told me that you should know when I spoke with her once… So I decided to listen to her advice. Your Aunt Cathie took this video at your birthday nine years ago…" without another word, she slipped the video into the TV. _

_"Where's the birthday boy?" Aunt Cathie's voice came through the TV. I couldn't see her because she was holding the camcorder. _

_Madi Yuki, my mother, came into view. She was holding me, just a tiny little baby, in her arms and waving my hands at Aunt Cathie. My big brown eyes looked up at her and laughed. _

_I laughed in the room with my mom too. I used to be so little! _

_"Where's my little man?" came a male voice. My Uncle Derick and another man walked into the camcorder's range. My heart stopped beating for a second. The man had brown hair and eyes like mine. He had the same little laugh I did and even my smile. I looked at my mom's orange hair and at her brown eyes. She nodded, tears streaming down her face. _

_"There he is! There's my son!" Charles Yuki laughed as his wife handed me to him. He played helicopter with me and I giggled like I was having the time of my life. Everyone was laughing, my mother in the garden chair with red balloons floating off of them, even a younger versoin of Nick, in my Uncle's arms, smiled. _

_Tears started sliding down my cheeks as I watched my father. He leaned over and kissed my mother on the forehead while slipping me back into her arms. She cooed at me and then kissed my dad on the lips. _

_"Not while the kids are around, Bro," Uncle Derick teased. My parents smiled sheepishly. Then, Nick and I looked up at the sky simultaniously. Charles looked up to see what had captivated our attention and Aunt Cathie veered the camcorder skyward for a second. _

_The sky had turned dark. The clouds were swirling dangerously above us all, but it did not rain. Then a chilling inhuman voice rang out. _

**"Your time has come Charles Yuki." **The voice said.

_I jumped out of my seat in the present. "What was that?!" I demanded. _

_"What was what, Jaden?" my mother said, concerned. _

_My aunt turned the camera back at my dad, who had exclaimed, "What the hell is that?!" _

_"Charles!" My mother scolded. Then, "Is that a storm? Where did it come from all of the sudden?" _

_Then the sky opened up and black lightning flashed in the sky. _

_In the present, I felt my body go numb. This is what happened when Nick and I had lost control. My startled eyes found my younger self. I wasn't laughing anymore. My brown eyes were huge with surprise and fear. I glanced at Nick, he was in a smiliar state. Actually, all of us were. _

_"Charles?" Mom whimpered. My father looked down at her and smiled. _

_"It's alright Madi, let's just get inside the house my love-" _

_Charles Yuki never got to finish his sentence. He was struck out by the single blast of lightning that fell to the Earth and was incinerated. He was completely gone, without a single trace. The only thing that suggested he had ever been there was a small ring of ashes. _

_"CHARLES!" Mom screamed. My aunt dropped the camera and we lost the picture. _

_I didn't move, didn't speak. It felt like I was losing my father again. Now those small memories I had of him, a smile, laughter, seemed like nothing. Nothing mattered. Now I knew that he had been murdered by a dragon, just like Serena had told me. _

_My mom wrapped her arms around me and held me while I cried. _

**End Flashback and POV **

"He wasn't dead sir!" Caravelon said, seemingly happy to give Jaden more information now that he was free. "At that time, our Overlord was on his deathbed. He sent for his son, Charles Yuki and awoke the evil that was slumbering inside of him so that he could rule until the day of his death, and then his son would take over!"

Jaden didn't reply. His father… was evil… had stared this war… had killed so many…

**_Like father like son,_** Haou replied. **_Sounds like you Jaden. _**

_Shut up! I'm different! I rebuilt all of those lifes that _you_ took! _

**_So now we're separate beings again? _**

_… Shut up… _

Jaden snapped back to this reality and his eyes fell on Caravelon's useless arm. "I sorry," he whispered to the rejected half-human. "Let me fix your arm."

Caravelon's eyes widened and he shifted so that he faced Jaden. "T-thank you sir."

"Please call me Jaden," Jaden replied polietly. "Now sit still, this will hurt."

Jaden moved the arm back into it's socket it made a hideious squelching sound that he had failed to notice the first time. Caravelon shouted once, and then all of the pain vanished. "Thank you Jaden."

Jaden bowed his head, hiding his eyes. Caravelon seemed to remember that humans could be upset easily. "Did you not know? About your father I mean?" he wondered.

Jaden's response was to turn away. Caravelon handed Jaden his jean jacket and the boy took it, hiding who he was from his compainions.

"Why do you keep it a secret?" Caravelon asked. "Doesn't it just make it more difficult for you?"

Jaden laughed bitterly. "You have no idea. But I care about them, that's why I don't tell them."

Caravelon looked confused. "Wouldn't it be the other was around? If you cared about them, shouldn't you tell them?"

Jaden shook his head. "With this, it's safer if they didn't know."

"Would you like to hear the rest of your father's story Jaden?" Caravelon wondered.

Jaden nodded.

"Your father arrived here very confused. He appeared before his dying father, and was amazed because he thought he had lost his father when Charles was sixteen. But, it was just the cycle that occurs. From One generation of Yuki to the next. The son of the eldest son will always reclaim the throne. Of course, they didn't know this, since they were only told on their father's deathbeds and then never return to Earth," Caravelon said, rubbing his blonde hair. "But you are different. You are very different from your father and any other of the Yuki bloodline."

_Told you so,_ Jaden said to Haou.

"Which is why you were not summoned nearly ten years ago when your father, our Overlord, was murdered by one of his bloodline. The Yuki child, son of the younger son, was unique as well. Instead of having his evil repressed, it was present and developing. He seized the thrown and started using his powers to build our army. At first, he made many mistakes in his transformations, like me," Caravelon bitterly added. "Then he perfected his control, and stopped making mistakes. He tossed the rest of us out quite recently. Now I can feel that he had returned, and he is angry."

"That's my fault," Jaden said without any emotion. "We got away."

Caravelon wasn't surprised. "Where are you going to go?"

"To some old friends," Jaden replied. "They can hide my friends so I can go after Nick."

"Have you lost your mind?" Caravelon sharply answered. "You can't take on **_him_** alone!"

"I have to end this," Jaden replied, his eyes full of anger.

Caravelon sensed Jaden's dark side and rushed to calm him, not wanting to destroy the world. "Even if you overthrow **_him_**, then Everlost will take over this place when you leave with your compainions."

Jaden still looked cold. "Then I'll have to face the Queen of Everlost after I'm done with Nick."

Caravelon took the boy by his shoulders. "Listen to me Jaden! You cannot go and fight alone! We all need you alive! You are the Guardian! You are our last chance at peace!"

Jaden seemed to snap out of his daze. He shook his head slightly, trying to clear it. "Caravelon?"

"Yes, Jaden?" Caravelon said, glad to have helped the boy.

"Thanks… I think I can help you by the way… what Nick did isn't permenate," Jaden mused.

"Huh?"

"Do you miss your family Caravelon?" Jaden whispered, examining the mistake.

"Yes," he said, "everyday."

Jaden nodded and touched Caravelon's shoulders. "I can heal you Caravelon. I can change you back and send you home."

Alexis opened her eyes to see a pair of deep, handsome, brown ones looking back at her. Jaden Yuki was leaning over her, making sure she was okay.

"Jaden?" Alexis asked. His eyes snapped onto hers. He smiled his goofy smile.

"You're armed," he said, pointing at her hip.

"_What?"_ she breathed. Then she looked down as an unfamiliar weight on her hip made itself known. There was a pale blue scabbard and a blue two-diamond hilt of a sword attached to a leather belt that she was suddenly wearing.

She looked around and saw everyone except Nick around her. "Where's Nick?"

Jaden shrugged. "As long as it's nowhere near here, I don't care."

Alexis agreed as she fingered her sword nervously. Melody wandered over to her and giggled.

"That's a pretty one!" Melody praised. Alexis glanced at the younger girl's side. Her scabbard was gray and the hilt of her sword was silver with a pink gem in the center.

"Yours is too," she replied. "But why do we have these things anyway?"

"Beats me," Hassleberry answered, examining his own, which looked like dinosaur bones with a steel blade. "I blame these damn cross-dimensional time-warp thing-a-ma-bobs."

"I just hope we won't need them," Zane said suddenly.

Melody was nodding absently, watching her cousin. Jaden had stood up and his eyes were locked on something airborne. From this far away and in the sunlight, it looked like an eagle. But Melody knew where they were.

"I think you just jinxed us Zane," she said, pointing at the object.

All other twelve heads turned in their directions. Pegasus was squinting at the thing and suddenly exploded, "It's a dragon!"

"So now that we know what's about to kill us," Chazz sarcastically said, "What should we do?"

"What can we do?" Zane replied. "It has obviously seen us."

"And there is no logical way we could overpower a dragon or outrun it," Bastion added.

Winged Kuriboh appeared next to Jaden's shoulder. Ruby appeared on Jesse's and the Ojama's surrounded Chazz. Aster glanced at them, but kept his own D-hero hidden.

"Damn it Nick," Jaden muttered under his breath.

Melody glanced at him sideways and whispered. "He sent that already?"

Jaden nodded. "You can tell by the mark."

Melody squinted at the rapidly approaching figure. She made out a violet symbol on the black dragon's forehead. "Grr-eat."

"If you guys are coming up with any ways how to beat a dragon, go ahead and tell us," Syrus nervously said.

"How about we try and confuse it," Melody said. "We can scatter in different directions to slow it down… and then…"

"Then?" Jim prompted.

"I got nothing," Melody admitted.

"Well it's better than nothing," Aster said.

"Alright! Let's go!!" Alexis shouted and they all shot off.

The dragon paused as its prey scattered. Jaden glanced up at the dragon and sent a small beam of his energy pulsing at it to try and get it to chase him. He knew the dragon wouldn't kill him, Nick needed him.

But the black dragon did not pursue him. It shot off after Alexis.

_"Alexis!!"_ Jaden yelled, skidding to a halt and running back. But there was no possible way that he could have caught up to the dragon on the ground.

Instead of barbequing her, it reached down and snatched her from the ground in its claws. Now it turned back towards Jaden, flying low to the ground.

_Damn Nick to Hell!_ Jaden silently screamed. _He sent that dragon to capture Alexis! He knows that I'll follow her! But why does he still think she's my angel?! I left her! _

**_He is not blind Jaden_**, Haou answered._ **She is still in love with you. **_

_Well duh! _Jaden snapped. _She only told me that herself! _

The dragon fly right over his head, but as it did, Jaden drew his sword and held it angled opposite to the dragon's direction of choice. The weapon slashed into the dragon's left wing, and the creature fell to the ground. Jaden was splashed with the dragon's red blood, but other than sick to his stomach, he was fine.

Alexis was dropped from the dragon's claws near the cliff, where the beast came to rest. Alexis skirted away from the huge teeth, but was trapped close to it by its mighty tail. She drew her sword like Jaden had, but then didn't know what to do. She didn't have spur of the moment adaptation instincts for other worlds like Jaden.

The dragon turned its great head towards Jaden. Anger boiled in its bright green eyes. It slowly raised itself up on its hind legs and spread its wings out to their fullest. Blood was dripping from the huge tear Jaden had made in its leathery black wings. Jaden felt sick again just by looking at it.

"Yuki…" the dragon hissed. Everyone looked startled. "You are like Yuki human."

Aster's eyes weaved between the dragon and Jaden. Chazz and the others approached Jaden carefully.

"I am a Yuki," Jaden replied, his voice steady.

The dragon's eyes narrowed. It found Melody who had just appeared at Jaden's side. "As am I!" she shouted bravely.

"Hmm… three Yuki's?" it mused. "This will not do. This world already has one Yuki. Why are you here?"

Its tail curled around Alexis and the dragon lifted her up like a rag doll. Jaden started forward, but Melody held him back with a soft touch.

"My _brother_, the third Yuki, sent us here," Melody clearly stated.

The dragon grinned, revealing its ivory fangs. "And the third Yuki also told me to kill anyone other than a Yuki and the angel."

Alexis chose this moment to stab the dragon's close-by (and already injured) wing with her sword. The creature roared in pain and Alexis fell to the earth again.

Jaden did rush forward this time with his cousin and they slashed at the dragon's leg, making a large wound and making the leg collapse. The dragon started to lose balance, sending fire at Jaden's friends, who barely got away.

The dragon fell on its back with a resounding crash as the cliff it was on started to crumble. It fell downward, temporarily incapable of flying because of its torn wing. It sent a torrent of fire from its mouth as if fell in its panic.

The fire seared the earth and it crumbled, sending Alexis, who was nearest the edge since the enemy had dropped her, tumbling into the abyss to meet her death.

"I was really hoping I could break it to you guys without something traumatic this time!" Jaden said in an annoyed voice before he whipped off his jacket a dove off the cliff after Alexis.

The jacket landed on Chazz's face, obscuring his view before he pulled it off. "Is that Slacker suicidal?!!"

"Alexis! Jaden!" Everyone else screamed, dashing towards the edge. They all ran after her when there was an ear-splitting roar. When they finally made it to the cliff, a huge blurred shadow shot up past them. The dragon was back.

The gang braced themselves for the beasts firey breath and talons as they mourned their lost friends.

(Back at Nhime Village)

"Melody!" Cathie Yuki called, unlocking the door. It was around 3:00pm. "I'm back! That overnight was…"

She stopped when she saw her hallway. The walls were blackened and charred, the floor was cracked and you could see the foundation below. The stairway had been destroyed, completely shattered! And sitting causually at her barely standing kitchen table was a man with red eyes and blonde hair.

"Hello Mrs. Yuki," Caravelon said, perfectly human again. "I don't want to frighten you, but I have a message from Jaden Yuki to give you."

"Oh," Cathie said faintly, leaning on the doorway for support.

**_Flashback _**

_Jaden nodded and touched Caravelon's shoulders. "I can heal you Caravelon. I can change you back and send you home." _

_Caravelon had sat there, shocked by the offer. "Won't it hurt you? Won't you have to fight for control over your own power?" _

_"No," Jaden said simply. "All I have to do is fight off Nick's energy and reverse it, I don't even have to use my own since your transformation wasn't successful." _

_"You would really do that?" Caravelon asked in awe. _

_Jaden nodded. "I need to ask you something though." _

_"Anything," Caravelon replied. "Anything to see my children again." _

_Jaden smiled sadly at the half-human. "I need you to give a message to a woman called Cathie Yuki. Tell her where we are, and that we're alright. Tell her we'll be home as soon as we can." _

_"When will that be?" Caravelon asked Jaden suspicoiusly. _

_"Whenever I can access my power without being overwhelmed," Jaden answered calmly. "Which won't be for a while…" _

_Caravelon nodded, eager to see his kids again, wondering if his wife was alright. _

_Jaden smiled at the creature before him and started his attack on his mind. He found Nick's energy easily ans started to purge it from Caravelon's body with a mental assualt. _

_The half-human's eyes grew cloudy and he said to Jaden, "You are different from your father and cousin Jaden. You're not evil… you're a hero." _

_Jaden looked stunned and then Caravel's vision went black. _

_Then next thing he knew, he was lying down in a room that looked as if a meteor had struck here. He felt great, like a new man… or rather an old one. _

_Caravelon looked behind him. No tail. He felt the top of his head. No horns. _

_"Jaden did it!" he cried. "I'm human again!" _

**End Flashback **

Caravelon smiled happily when he was done explaining things to Mrs. Yuki. She looked weary.

"I think I need to sit down," she sighed. Caravelon was sympathetic.

"Don't worry, Cathie," he said. "They will be alright. Jaden will protect them."

She nodded. "Jaden is powerful, that's for sure. But he doesn't believe that he can use his power safely, which makes him weak. I love him to death, but I worry about him too. Ever since he and Nick fought back when they were young… and almost destroyed each other… he didn't trust himself… he was afraid of his power. And his mother," Cathie shook her head, "swept him away to God knows where and I never saw him again for ten years. Then he's back and he looks like he's doing well… but he freezes up when he sees Nick."

Cathie shook her head. "I don't know what to do about my eldest son. He is always well-behaved when we are around and we can hardly punish him for coming back home or something that happened ten years ago… but he really hurt Jaden. Not physically that day but… Jaden didn't talk again for a week after it happened. He was so terrified… then Madi took him away from us and from Melody, who had been Jaden's friend this entire time. She was the one who was always at Jaden's side, trying to coax him to talk to her. His mother and I made sure he was eating, but the poor thing didn't have an apetite either. Melody was devastated when they up and left in the middle of the night. The house went for sale the next week, but Madi and Jaden Yuki had left Nhime Village and weren't coming back. Madi never called. She wanted Jaden to forget about what happened, I think. Even though she wasn't sure what occurred herself. But something like that can't be forgotten… it's something the Yuki's will have to carry for the rest of our lives."

Caravelon hesitated, wondering if Jaden would be angry if his aunt knew about Nick. "Mrs. Yuki," he started. "I'm not sure how to tell you this exactly… but your son, Nick… well… there's no easy way to say this, so I'll just come out and say it. He's a cold-hearted bastard that will do anything to sieze power."

Cathie just stared at him. "Explain," she said.

Caravelon told her what he had told Jaden, the bloodline of the Yuki's and Nick's murders and of all the families he ripped apart. When he finally left Mrs. Yuki, she was up and seemingly cheerful, with the glint of I'm-going-to-ground-my-son's-ass-so-fast-his-head-will-spin in her eyes. He smiled and waved at the woman before Jaden's last magic began to unravel and he found himself in front of a small home. He smiled at the laughter coming through the door before knocking.

A small child around five years old answered the door. She had red eyes like him and blue hair like her mother. "Daddy!" she screamed and flung herself at him.

"Lisa!" Caravelon cried out.

"Dad?" came a male voice from inside.

"Caravelon?" said a female one.

A boy with blonde hair and green eyes walked up to him. There was a beautiful woman with long blue hair and green eyes behind him. "Luke! Evangela!"

The family held onto each other tightly, never to be separated again.

"Where were you Daddy? We knew you would come home!" Lisa and Luke cried.

"I was lost, my dear ones. But a hero saved me. His name is Jaden Yuki, and I owe him my life," Caravelon replied, tears streaming down his cheeks. "Because he gave me my life back… the three of you."

His wife, Evangela, led him back into their cozy home where he would be a part of their laughter until the day that he died.

* * *

**How many of you guys are going nuts because of the cliff-hanger with the dragon? **

**How many cried in this chapter? **

**How many are going to join Duel-Spirit's WHEN (We Hate Evil Nick) Club? **

**Here's the quote: **

"We have already spoken with our friends in Everlost through this mirror, and they agree with us. Now is not the time to run and hide from what we believe in. Now is the time to fight!" cried Allian with authority.

Ringing applause came through as the fifty or so creatures agreed.

"We will start with organizing rebellions, training those of you who don't know how, to fight! We will become stronger as a team, we will strike at any time, at any place! We will overthrow the Overlord and the Queen to reclaim peace throughout our worlds!"


	16. Ten Jaws Dropped

**DISCLAIMER: I DON'T OWN YUGIOH GX AND NEVER WILL! **

Some people are going to be mad at me when they're done reading… you'll see why…

**Chapter 15 **

A woman was standing in front of a crowd of fifty or so different creatures. She was incredibly beautiful, being an angel herself. Her pure white wings were folded neatly across her back, sticking out just above her corset. The corset was black and had silver and white spiral patterns weaving through it. Underneath the corset, the woman wore a white Renaissance style shirt with long hanging sleeves. Her skirt fell down past her feet and was also white.

Her silvery blonde hair fell down to her waist and her eyes were an electric blue. Hanging from a belt around her corset was a white sheath with silver marking on it and the hilt of a white sword. On the other side of the belt hung a white and silver deck case.

She smiled fiercely at her companions, revealing her fiery personality. She was the leader of the Evermore Rebellion, Allian Pronscea.

(AN: Pronounced Al-E-N Pr-on-C-A)

She raised her pale hands and everyone fell silent, expectant. "We have just received word the Jaden has returned to Evermore," she said in her carrying voice.

There was collective cheering in the small hidden shelter. Allian smiled, remembering the fiery boy that had communicated with them for five years. Then he had to leave his home to go to some place called 'Duel Academy'. She brought herself back to the present.

"But The Overlord has also returned," Allian cried. "We have gleamed from inside sources that Overlord Yuki had attempted to bring Jaden and his companions to the castle, and most likely kill Jaden's friends and try to force Jaden's secret out." Everyone was listening now.

"But Jaden managed to manipulate the gate, which has our Overlord confused. He does not understand how Jaden can manipulate the gates between worlds so easily, so he had been careless about whom he tells the story to. So that is how we know," Allian continued. "So if any of you see any humans wandering around, help them. Bring them back here and we can protect them. If you meet Jaden Yuki again, tell him our motto. I doubt he would forget his own words after all. He will trust you after that."

The people nodded in excitement. With Jaden back, they were more likely to succeed in their missions. Allian's wings spread out with her own anxiety.

"We have already spoken with our friends in Everlost through this mirror, and they agree with us. Now is not the time to run and hide from what we believe in. Now is the time to fight!" cried Allian with authority.

Ringing applause came through as the fifty or so creatures agreed.

"We will start with organizing rebellions, training those of you who don't know how, to fight! We will become stronger as a team; we will strike at any time, at any place! We will overthrow the Overlord and the Queen to reclaim peace throughout our worlds!"

Thundering applause came as many creatures became airborne, unable to contain their excitement any longer.

"Split into three main groups: beginners, intermediate, and masters of swordsmanship. Masters and intermediate will train the beginners while Darkal and I search for Jaden and his companions!"

A man that looked roughly her age stepped forward. He had red and black demon-like wings jutting out of his back. His hair was brown and fell to his shoulders. He was top-less, but he wore simple jeans with a leather belt. Around his belt was a black scabbard and a brilliant red hilt of a sword. His deck case was also red.

Darkal passed Allian a simple white duel-disk with the life-points meter silver and attached his own black one onto his arm. He held it up and shouted Jaden's quote to everyone before he and Allian flew out the large window.

" Forget Do or Die! We'll never swim or fly!"

* * *

Nick passed back and forth in the throne room with unnatural anxiety. He had been honing his dark powers for the last ten years and yet Jaden was still able to out maneuver him! Why?!

Nick stared out of his door/window angrily. His deep black and purple demon-like wings were folded tightly against his back. His hands gripped the windowsill hard, his tapered fingers cutting into the marble easily.

He had been training and plotting ever since _that day… _

**_Flashback _**

_Nick was eight years old and sleeping next to Jaden's room. The boy and his mother had moved in with them for awhile after Jaden had re-appeared with no memory of what had happened when he disappeared for half a month. _

_But Nick had known better, he could tell that little Jay was lying through his teeth. So he had been waiting for the day that Jaden would slip and meet with whomever he had stayed with in that strange time. And he would be there waiting for him. _

_Nick had always known that there was something strange about him and Jaden. Jaden for one could see duel-spirits, which Nick had gathered from the excited boy during one of their not-so-friendly duels. And the kid was really good too! While Nick had the abilities to always see through people, detect lies, pull the truth out of almost anyone, and he had no conscious. _

_Most of their duels had ended in draws anyway, but that was beside the point now. He heard Jaden moving around in the other room. The screen door slid open, and Nick was outside, hiding in the shadows as he watched Jaden climb out of his window and down the gutter. _

_The child glanced around nervously before walking to the shoreline. Nick waited a few moments before following him, always staying low to the ground and in the shadows. He crouched over the top of the cliff above where Jaden was standing. His cousin was looking out at the water as if expecting something to happen. _

_I waited too. Then I felt someone gently touch my shoulder and almost screamed. My little sister, Melody, was crouched next to me. She smiled and whispered in the quietest of voices, "Are you worried about Jaden too?" _

_Nick just stared coldly at her. "No," he hissed after a pause. "I want to know what he's hiding, it might have some answers I need." _

_The little five-year-old sighed. But then she fell silent and stared at the ocean. Nine shapes were emerging from the dark waters! They approached Jaden quickly, all smiling. Jaden had started to wade out into the water, but one of the merpeople held out his hand to stop the boy. He told him, "Stop, Jaden. We can come to you." _

_"How can you do that Stephan?" Jaden asked. _

_Stephan' s smile grew even larger. "Watch us." _

_The nine merpeople suddenly took a step (literally) forward! In the place of their normal glittery tails were legs! They wore simple little skirts and shorts. _

_"How?" Jaden gasped. _

_"How did you think we were fighting against Evermore Jaden?" a woman asked him. _

_"I never really thought of that Maxine," Jaden said. "I was kinda overloaded with the whole 'destroy that world to save this one' thing." _

_The mermaid called Maxine laughed. "We get legs at night if we need then Jaden. They last for twelve hours… or when they get wet." _

_There cousin sat in the sand and the others joined him. They were talking for a long time. They spoke of a war between the air and the sea. Nick eventually got all of their names straight, it had taken quite awhile. But more importantly, Jaden had yet another secret he was keeping from them. _

_"Jaden," Serena Delane said in a calming tone. "…Are you sure you want to know what you did in Everlost?" _

_"Yes!" Jaden replied decisively. Nick leaned in closer, he could feel this was going to be good. _

_"We heard the two guards that had captured you and injected you with the sleeping poison screaming like they were being killed," Michael said flatly, trying not to sound scared. "Then everything became incredibly quiet. It was… unnatural. There was a sound like breaking metal and the door that the guards had just carried you behind was blasted off its hinges by this dark aura…" _

_"And you swam into the hallway. Your eyes were cold, heartless, and demonic," Patrick said quite plainly. "They were also gold instead of your usual brown. You were looking at us weird, like you really didn't know who we were. You raised your hands and the walls of the entire dungeon started to crumble." _

_Pat's gray eyes shimmered, showing the terror beneath his mask. _

_"You swam out, and we were stunned enough that we didn't notice we were free right away. By the time we swam out of there, our children had come back and were hovering behind a round of the guards. You smirked… it seemed so dark and sinister… so out of the ordinary for you… and you raised your right hand with finality. The guards all dropped dead. There was no life left in their uncaring eyes. Then… you just vanished." _

_"When you returned, you seemed to be out of control completely. Your actions weren't swift or precise like before. Your eyes just shone brightly and your tail seemed to glow and the castle was engulfed in your dark aura, destroying it completely," Angela continued for her husband. _

_Jaden had grown quiet. He seemed to be lost in thought. _

_"We had been waiting for you; it was so chaotic with your break-out that the remaining guards didn't even care about the escaped rebels. So now our numbers were nearly doubled and the kingdom was in chaos. Then of course, we all rushed you, expecting some kind of resistance. But you just froze at the sight of us and collapsed. We rushed you out of there and back through the portal to your world. You seemed so small and fragile…" _

_"And we watched over you until you woke up a day later," Adria added. _

_They all talked about where Jaden may have gone in his absence, and Serena explained to Jaden the properties of the medallion the guards had used on him, and then about life in general these days. Atrus pulled Jaden to the side. _

_The merman and Jaden walked down the beach for a while, Jaden trying to get himself back together y the looks of it. He had obviously been shaken by this turn of events. _

_"I knew we were different," Nick muttered under his breath. He had quite forgotten Melody sitting next to him. "I knew we were special in some ways. We can eliminate the weak minded. Like those fools of Everlost. Instead of trying to contain Jaden's power and stop it, they should have let it run its course… just to see whether or not he could really destroy worlds… if he wasn't weak enough to do it!" _

_Melody made an angry sound. "Jaden is not weak just because he cares about others Nick." _

_Nick smirked at his younger sibling. "You're right. He's not weak. Jaden is very powerful. And so am I. I can feel it. This is why I am here. To rule. To eliminate the weak… Evermore will be my first stop." _

_Below them, Atrus and Jaden were having a whispered conversation. It ended apparently when Jaden gave Atrus a high-five and they sprinted back to the parents. _

_"I want to help you," Jaden said. "I want peace between your worlds." _

_They merpeople other than Atrus looked surprised. "Where did all of this come from Jaden?" Maxine asked. _

_Jaden smiled. "I figure that as long as I have some power in me, even if I can't control it and refuse to use it again, that I should help you. I could just be a messenger between your two worlds, between the resistance in Evermore and Everlost. I can fight if you need it, I'm a duelist." _

_"We don't want to put you in unnecessary danger, Jaden. The Overlord of Evermore is very powerful and is not to be messed with. You would be killed in an instant if you were found," Stephan seriously answered. "That or the Overlord would try to control and use your power against us." _

_Jaden's eyes got his usual fiery determination back in them. "He'll try that anyway, no matter where I am! So I am going to help this cause. Because it is the right one!" _

_"And as for the matter of everyone trying to brainwash you?" Michael demanded. _

_Jaden glanced at Atrus out of the side of his eyes. "Forget Do or Die. I'll never swim or fly." _

_They all smiled at him and stacked their hands in the middle of all of them. "Now we are really a family!" Liz burst out suddenly. _

_Jaden laughed. "One family brought together by war!" _

_"Charming," Adria sarcastically commented. _

_"Here," Serena said suddenly. She wove a small pendent around Jaden's neck and hid it under his shirt. "That will show you the way to the Evermore portals that are safe to enter. By safe, I mean the people that find you will be like us. Members of the resistance! We will talk to them through our mirror, but it doesn't work very often, only at dawn and dusk. So we'll have to leave now if we want to talk to them." _

_Jaden nodded and added with a shadow of a smile of his face, "Swim safely." _

_The merpeople said their good-byes and then leapt back into the ocean. Jaden started to make his way back up to the home. Nick smirked as his presence went unnoticed by the younger Yuki. _

_He stood up suddenly, heading towards town. _

_"We are you going big brother?" Melody asked. Her voice was steady. She knew that he was up to no good. _

_"I'll be back in ten minutes," Nick frostily answered. _

_Nick did return home ten minutes later. He had gone and confronted Mystic, whom he had always sensed as different, about her true world. The woman had told him plenty, after a small amount of persuasion. _

_Nick clenched his fist, which was glowing with a purple aura. So now he knew where the portal that would take him to the throne room would open, and when as well. Nick smirked; his plan was already coming together. _

_He waited until the afternoon that day to confront Jaden. They were all out in the garden goofing off when Nick allowed his eyes to meet Jaden's. As soon as he was sure his cousin was looking, he made then flash purple. Jaden stopped in mid-sentence. _

_Nick felt his face curl into the familiar sneer as he told Jaden that he knew. "I know what you aren't," Nick said. "Human. You're something more…" _

_Jaden shook his head fiercely, insisting that he was a human, and that Nick was insane. _

_A chilling laugh escaped Nick's lips. "I hear different from the Everlosts." _

_His cousin went extremely pale. "How…?" _

_Melody tried to intervene to stop Nick. "We followed you out Jaden. I was really worried about you; you weren't acting like your normal self." _

_"Because his normal self is a demon… a demon with the power to destroy worlds… you are not human, my cousin. You are a tool in the grand scheme of things. In this war, you are being used to destroy the superior race," Nick smiled. _

_Jaden looked away, hurt in his brown eyes. Melody glared at Nick. _

_"Stop it," she demanded, upset that Jaden was upset. _

_"It's the truth," Nick simply said. "And this is too. Your type of power is supposed to be used Jaden. Something like that can build up inside of you until it screams for release and escapes you by force. Why not follow me and use up that power now? I could help you. Together, we could end the war, Jaden." _

_Jaden saw right through Nick. "Don't flatter yourself," he coolly answered. "You know this truth, if I go with you, a world will end. Lives will be lost. Blood will be spilt. You will seize power and try to control me. You can't control me Nick. If you try, I swear to God that you will end up dead." _

_Nick was impressed with Jaden's little speech. Melody was concerned. _

_Smirking, Nick allowed his power to break free. "Then I'll take you by force." _

**(Nick's POV) **

_The wind picked up and the sky grew dark. My energy drew out the half-conscious power in Jaden, making the boy's eyes flash gold. Melody started screaming our names as a storm appeared out of nowhere. Lightning flashed in the sky, raining from the clouds like fire but never touching the earth. Jaden did not strike me, he stood there with a slightly panicked expression. _

_He was fighting, I could feel it. But I needed to see just how strong my little cousin was. "Why are you holding back Jay?" I taunted with my voice low and deadly. _

_He stiffened, probably thinking I was nuts for trying to make him lose control. _

_"Are you afraid of what you are?" I couldn't help but ask. His expression told me that he was. _

_"Listen to me," his voice surprised me. It was so cold and harsh, so much worse than my own even though he was younger and in partial control. Melody's screeches came to a halt when he spoke. _

_"Let it go Nick," Jaden warned me. "Fight it off before I have to kill you." _

_"You?! Kill me?!" I howled as maniacal laughter bursting from my lips. "Just try." _

_I raised my hands and sent an invisible, but very dark, aura at Jaden. It engulfed him and added to his secret, causing him to lose control. _

_"Jaden, NO!" Melody screamed, running at him _

_A smirk played on Jaden's face. His head tilted to the side slightly as if examining something, and then he laughed cruelly. "This isn't even a challenge, this is just child's play," my cousin informed me as something started squeezing the life out of me. _

_I choked out, caught unaware by this strange grip. Then I regained my senses and banished the force away as if it were just a troublesome gnat. _

_"Child's play eh?" I said, keeping the surprise that I felt masked. "Try this for size." _

_I let loose a torrent of my energy that was nearly half the size of my home. Jaden did not move. He frowned and shook his head as if _I_ was the younger cousin and he was lecturing me. _

_Lightning crashed straight into my attack, causing a huge explosion that sounded like thunder. I braced myself for the aftershock. My cousin didn't even lift a finger. The air passed around him like he wasn't even there. _

_"There is more to this than just brute force fool," Jaden coldly said. It took me a second to realize that he actually _**was**_ lecturing me. "You have to manipulate what is going on around you, see everything, hear everything, react on instinct and have the will power to maintain that action until it is completed." _

_I stared at him. Since when did Jaden suddenly start giving me tips on how to become more powerful? Was this even Jaden? It didn't seem like it… not like the Jaden I knew and hated anyway. I liked this new one. He was powerful. He had no morals. He was perfect. Now all I had to do was figure out a way to control him. _

_"And something else too," Jaden added. "You're about to die." _

_My mind suddenly felt like it was on fire. Strange things flashed before my eyes… Jaden's father sitting on a throne dressed like a King… a gravestone… two worlds clashing… a mysterious Queen… then a girl called 'angel'… _

_Then next thing I knew I was lying near the crater we had created in the yard, gasping for breath. The sky had turned to normal. And something was wrong. For the first time in my life, I felt fear. _

_And that fear was in the shape of Jaden Yuki, standing across from me with Melody pulling on his arm. Jaden Yuki… with his big brown eyes looking confused and cloudy. Jaden Yuki… he was what I needed to make my plans come true. All I had to do was find the final missing pieces. The medallion that awoke Jaden's power and this 'angel' are what I need. And I will have thousands looking for it once I am Overlord of Evermore. _

**End POV and Flashback **

Nick scowled. He had found the medallion and the angel. But both of them were out of his grasp. The medallion was in the hands of the Queen of Everlost, who had yet to reveal herself. And this 'angel' was with Jaden right now… and the only reason for that was because Jaden managed to manipulate the events that happened around him yet again.

He had broken up with the girl and acted indifferent towards her, causing Nick to hesitate about the girl's identity. Now he knew though. Jaden was always very defensive and careful around her, Nick had noticed that.

She was his angel.

But now he had to rely on his dragon to capture her and bring Jaden here on wings. Now all he could do was watch and wait.

* * *

Darkal and Allian flew close together, in defensive formation. Their advanced eyesight was picking up every tiny detail in the meadow below them.

"Where do you think Jaden appeared?" Darkal asked Allian suddenly.

Allian smiled. "Probably in the same spot he did when we first met, cliff's drop."

The boy had been so cute. He was so enthusiastic about helping them, and he turned out to be a huge help too, even without his powers. Jaden was a strong duelist, and that was something that would stay the same no matter where he went. He had actually saved them quite a few times by defeating a spy or one of the Overlord's messengers when they came calling.

The boy had also picked up on how to use a sword quickly, whether Allian had trained him in his world or her own, it hadn't mattered. Jaden was unique with a sword though, he never gave anyone fatal blows. He always simply knocked them out. Normally she would discourage this behavior, but Jaden could do it so quickly that it didn't matter that he wasn't fighting to kill.

The boy was simply fighting to survive...

_Or rather fighting so **we** can survive, _Allian thought.

"Allian!" Darkal exclaimed, smacking his head. "There's a dragon over there!"

Allian snapped out of her stupor, chiding herself. There definitely was a dragon. It was a fully grown, measuring at about twenty five feet long, tail excluded. It was falling down the canyon, its wings were stained red with blood.

"Jaden," Allian whispered, sensing the boy's undeniable presence.

"Alexis! Jaden!" a group of people shouted. They were dashing towards the cliff.

"Don't tell me they know about Jaden," Darkal sighed. "It took us a long time for him to open up to us about his past, and if they know about _that_, then they don't have much of a future."

Allian dove towards the cliff, "Let's kick some dragon ass."

"Let's," Darkal agreed.

While they dove to the cliff, a huge blurred shadow shot up past the humans. The dragon was back.

The group braced themselves for the beast's fiery breath and talons.

Allian shot up from under the dragon and grabbed his left arm. Darkal did the same on the right side. Together, the flew to stunned dragon higher and higher until it started to fight back. Only then did the rebels see the Overlord's mark.

_Oh shit,_ Allian thought.

(Gang's POV)

The fire never came. Aster was the first to open his eyes, but he couldn't believe what he saw. A woman with white feathered wings, like an angel, and a man with red-black bat wings, like a fallen angel, came out of nowhere and tackled the dragon. They dragged their would-be-murderer into the air until they vanished from human sight.

"Lex! Jay!" Syrus cried out. They all bowed their heads in remorse.

"They were good friends till the end," Hassleberry said.

"And I was hoping to one day call Jaden my brother-in-law!" Atticus added sadly. "Now we've lost them both."

Melody was smiling suddenly, trying not to giggle. Everyone except Pegasus, who looked awe-struck, glared at her.

"Shouldn't you be mourning, soldier?" Hassleberry demanded.

"Why would you need to mourn us?" came Jaden's voice.

"Jay-!" Jesse started and then froze. Ten jaws dropped.

Jaden Yuki was standing on the edge of the cliff, holding an incredibly shocked Alexis Rhodes bridal style. He placed her down and grinned sheepishly.

Now they all knew why he had thrown off his jacket before jumping after Alexis.

**

* * *

**

**Can anyone guess why Jaden threw his jean jacket off? **

**QUOTE: **

"Ok Jaden," Atticus fumed, frustrated with the teen's frosty attitude. "You. Are. Going. To. Tell. Us."

Jaden pretended to be examining his finger nails.

"Now," added Alexis pointedly.

Jaden looked up at her, captivated by her eyes.

He gave a mighty sigh. "Alright…"


	17. Lillian's Fate

**DISCLAIMER: I DON'T OWN YUGIOH GX!**

**You guys get a glimpse into Jaden's past in Evermore in this chapter and why he believes that leaving Alexis was the only way to protect her. **

**Chapter 16**

"Allian!" Darkal cried as she was sent flying when the dragon nailed her with its tail. The angel flipped herself around and extended her wings. She recovered from the assault quickly and pulled out her white and silver sword.

"I'm fine!" she replied. "Just kill it!"

Darkal smirked as he pulled out his blade. This dragon was in for a hell of a fight.

(Back with the gang)

_You know what? It was worth showing them just to see their reactions,_ Jaden absently thought.

**_There is always amusement in other's suffering, _**Haou idly said.

Melody was roaring with laughter at the looks on everyone's faces while Pegasus had the This-is-so-cool-I've-got-to-make-a-card-out-of-this look.

The Ojama Trio had fainted and Chazz had fallen backwards anime-style. Jim was unraveling his bandaged left eye as if to see if it produced the same result.

Axel's, the hardened warrior's, jaw was simply hanging there like a fly catcher. Bastion was muttering scientific equations under his breath, trying to figure out how this could happen.

Jesse had cocked his head to the side and simply stared at Jaden quizzically. Atticus pinched himself.

Aster was rubbing his eyes furiously as if to get a smug off of them. Zane's reaction was to have a reaction. He took a step back and surprise lingered on his face.

Hassleberry had also chosen the half-faint option. Syrus had covered his mouth with his hand and was blinking more than usual.

Jaden laughed nervously and scratched the back of his head.

"What the hell are you?!" Chazz burst out.

Jaden flinched slightly as if he had been smacked. Hurt showed in his brown eyes, but he knew he deserved this for not at least telling them this much.

"Jaden," Alexis whispered, taking a step back to observe him carefully.

Jaden was wearing his black sleeveless shirt and pants. The shirt showed off his muscles nicely, and Alexis found herself starting to blush. His eyes were still that deep brown color that she loved, his hair still unruly. But now there was something different.

"You know what Jaden?" Atticus input in a scared voice. "After everything that I've been through, I never thought I'd be surprised again. But you just proved me wrong, BIG TIME."

The brown-haired younger teen looked away from them.

Jutting out of Jaden's back were two wings. His feathers weren't all white like the other lady's. Although they were mostly white, the very ends of them faded into gold and then, lastly, red. They were beautiful. He had spread them out so that they could all see them easily. She would guess that his wingspan was about sixteen feet.

She reached out and felt his wings tentatively. Jaden bristled slightly, and the muscles in his wings tensed up below her fingers. He relaxed after a few uncomfortable seconds, and Alexis moved her fingers through the feathers.

"They're really soft, gentle," Alexis said to him, trying to show him he wasn't afraid like the others.

"It looks like the gold and red are trying to contain the white," Bastion inserted.

Jaden suddenly hid his eyes from them. Alexis shot him a dagger glare and he shut up.

"Jaden?" she gently said.

He looked up at her steadily.

"Thank you for saving my life," she reminded him.

Jaden smiled at her sadly. "You don't need to thank me Lex."

She smiled back at him and replied, "I want to."

"TAKE THAT YOU (inappropriate content goes on for a full minute) DRAGON!" screamed one of the figures in the air.

Melody was rolling on the ground, laughing her head off. Pegasus was trying not to laugh and failing miserably. His friends', if possible, jaws dropped even farther. Jaden looked up and smirked. "Allian seems to have developed a very colorful vocabulary since I was gone."

"Since you were gone? You've been here before?" Aster asked.

"Yep," was all Jaden said.

Aster sweat-dropped. "Are you going to tell us when and why?"

"Not if I can avoid it," Jaden replied. "Now excuse me while I go prevent Allian from killing the dragon."

He leapt a full ten feet into the air and moved his powerful wings up and down a few times before gaining altitude. Soon he was speeding up towards the angel with a sailor's mouth.

"Hey Allian, nice vocabulary!" he shouted, zooming past her and slamming into the dragon. The larger creature was sent stumbling back. "Hey Darkal, what's up?" he added when he saw his other friend.

"Jaden!" they happily called.

He smirked and pulled out his sword. Allian and Darkal pulled up behind him in tight formation. "Don't kill it," Jaden warned them. "This is the Overlord's dragon, if it goes missing he'll be-"

"Yeah, yeah," Allian grumbled. "We know. He'll be pissed."

Darkal rolled his eyes. "I see you've been keeping up with your fencing Jaden," he said conversationally.

Jaden smiled. "Yeah, it's harder to do when your mother watches you like a hawk over the summer and at school you constantly have to save the world."

"Now that we're done with pleasantries," Allian pointed out, "can we focus on stopping the dragon?"

As if to validate her point, the dragon sent a torrent of fire gushing at them. Jaden tilted his feathers so that they were following him in tight spirals around the fire. "Lighten up Allian," Jaden joked. "With the three of us back together, no one can stop us."

"You haven't changed much," Allian smiled. For some reason that shut Jaden up. "Jay?"

Darkal tried to catch sight of the youth's face… which was unsuccessful due to the fact that they were spinning around fire.

"You two handle to wings," he responded briskly. "I'll take the head."

"Right," they replied, worried for him.

They broke ranks and the dragon slashed at them with its ivory talons. Its attention focused on Jaden when he knocked out one of the beast's teeth with his sword. The dragon reared back in pain.

"Go!" Jaden shouted, swooping down on the dragon's eyes next as the livid creature attempted to separate Jaden's head from his body.

Allian and Darkal angled sharply at the joints were the dragons wings connected to his body.

[Insert gross noise here

The wings were half-separated from the creature's back. It spewed fire at them as it fell back to the earth and Jaden got a burned because it came so close to him. Grimacing, he locked his wings and fell into a steep dive parallel to the beast.

He resolved himself to a sore back in the morning when he was below the dragon's head. Jaden snapped open his wings, wincing when he was dragged upward forcibly by the air currents and then just flat-out screaming in pain when the dragon's jaw slammed into his powerful wings. They protected him from most of the impact, but it still hurt like heck.

He heard a sickening _crack_ and then a snapping sound. The dragon's howls stopped suddenly, it now supported a broken jaw. It crashed into the meadow with finality, breaking its legs. Its green eyes locked on them, since it was unable to move anything else.

"Are you alright Jaden?" Darkal asked, floated over to his companion.

"Fine," the boy gasped, catching him breath. "Just knocked the wind out of me."

Darkal nodded. "You're lucky you didn't break anything. Other than that risk, it was pure genius."

Allian came so close to him that their wings brushed against each other. They seemed worried that he was about to collapse.

"_What?_" he demanded.

"You've lost quite a bit of blood there Jaden," Allian commented, staring at the patches of red. "You need to rest."

"Eh?" Jaden said. He didn't feel any cuts. He glanced down and sure enough, there were red splashes all across his arms and chest. Then he started laughing.

"He's delusional!" Darkal sighed. They made to grab him but he folded his wings and dropped down the last seven feet. He landed gracefully on the ground and smirked up at them, pointing to a tear in the dragon's leathery wings.

"It's _his_ blood, not mine," Jaden assured them. Then he turned a nice shade of white and turned away from the injuries.

Allian shook her head. _The kid still doesn't like seeing other's hurt, _she thought.

"Dragon," Jaden said, his eyes locking on the only non-bleeding part of the beast, its eyes. "I can fix you so that we can make a deal in return for your life. Do you swear by dragon fire that you will not harm or attack the people standing before you right now or escape when I heal you?"

The dragon nodded painfully, binding itself to Jaden.

**_Why do you trust that it will keep its promise? _**Haou wondered.

_Shouldn't you know if you're my other half? _Jaden acidly snapped. _Once a dragon makes an oath, then it is bound to complete it until it is fulfilled or it dies. _

"Can you handle healing it Jaden?" Allian asked suddenly, landing next to him.

_Why is everyone asking me that question?_ Jaden thought, annoyed.

**_Because they know it is dangerous for you to strain yourself,_** Haou coldly answered.

"Yeah," Jaden sighed to both Haou and Allian. "I'll be tired afterwards though."

They watched him carefully as Jaden approached the dragon and placed his hands gently on its black scales. The creature whimpered in pain.

Jaden's brown eyes closed and his red-white aura surrounded him. The teen grimaced slightly and the dragon's jaw reconnected with a sickening sucking sound. The muscles and tendons started to weave back together before their very eyes and the fresh scales grew over the wounds.

The dragon stood up gingerly when Jaden's hand left its face. The teen fell to his knees, gulping in air and waiting for the world to stop spinning out of focus.

"Jaden," Alexis whispered, finally arriving by his side. She put her hands on his shoulders and helped him up. The boy brushed her off coldly… but not before she felt it in him again. That uneasy feeling, the feeling like you're being watched, came across her again. She could tell something was very wrong with Jaden.

The dragon bowed its head towards Jaden, its eyes sparkling with renewed vigor. "Thank you Jaden Yuki. Now I have realized that it is you… Guardian. You shall have me in your services if you wish it so, my lord."

Jaden gritted his teeth. "Just call me Jaden," he said as levelly as he could.

**_You might as well get used to the title Jaden,_** Haou reminded him.

_Shut up!! _

"Why would you help me?" he asked the dragon. "I thought all dragons agreed with N--the Overlord, that the Everlosts and rebels should be destroyed."

"Clearly, not all of us," the dragon smirked. "My loyalties lie wherever the Guardian goes." He bowed his head to Alexis.

"Milady," he said respectfully. "Take care of him, Angel."

"Why does everyone keep calling me that?!" Alexis exploded.

The dragon chuckled and turned towards Jaden again. "What would you charge me to do?"

"Erm," Jaden said, not expecting the meeting to go so well.

**_Tell the dragon to disobey every order that Nick gives that would have a negative impact on the Rebellion. Tell him to carry information to any of the rebels that it is charged to hunt. Make him be a double-agent for the Rebellion, _**Haou supplied in Jaden's mind.

Jaden was generally shocked. _Thanks. _

**_You are welcome. Deceiving is my strong suit after all. _**

_Good point, _Jaden answered. He was suddenly aware that everyone was waiting for him to speak.

Jaden relayed Haou's orders to the dragon and the beast nodded its head. "Very cunning, Haou," it commented with a smirk.

Only then did Jaden remember that dragons can see into a person's soul. Or in his case, into his split one. "Wait!" Jaden said as the dragon started to leave them.

The beast turned back.

"When you see the Overlord…" Jaden's voice trailed off. "What do you see?"

The dragon and the rebels understood what Jaden was saying.

"Only darkness," scoffed Allian.

"I agree," Darkal said.

"I see… that he is like you," the dragon carefully replied. "Only opposite."

Jaden smiled warmly and bowed his head in a sign of friendship. "Thank you, dragon."

"Niemona," the dragon whispered. "My name is Niemona."

(Pronounced: Knee-mo-na) (AN: not pneumonia)

Allian's jaw dropped. When a dragon told you its name, that meant that it was swearing fealty to you and would gladly follow any orders that you gave it, promise or not. And having a dragon on the Rebellion's side was a cause for celebration!

"Goddess of the air?" Darkal translated from the rough dragon tongue.

The female dragon smirked. She gave her wings a few lazy flaps and took off into the morning sky.

Jaden watched the dragon go with a warm feeling in his heart. Maybe things weren't as bad as they seemed here. There was always someone who was willing to fight for peace.

"Jaden," Aster sternly remarked. "Now that you just _healed_ a _dragon_ after _flying_ and _fighting _her with a _sword_, tell us what the hell is going on!"

The grin slid off of his face. Oh right, this was his life, not fantasy. Time to get his head out of the clouds… again…

"What's going on is that there's a war Aster," Jaden snapped. "And both sides will stop at nothing until they destroy each other. That's the only reality there is here."

Axel frowned at the tone in Jaden's voice. He was starting to sound like Haou again.

Darkal and Allian exchanged looks. Jaden's friends couldn't know the truth. It was too dangerous! Allian and Darkal themselves had been attacked countless times just because they knew the secret. It wouldn't be so bad if the teens had some way to defend themselves, but only Jaden and Melody could use a sword properly and they didn't even have their duel-disks for Pete's Sake! Well, they always had spares around the base anyway… so no harm done until they got there.

Pegasus and Melody were thinking along the same lines.

"Jaden, we know about Haou still in your mind. We know that there is a war and that both sides want you for your dueling skills and dark side. We know that you are lying to us," Zane said. "So I would suggest that you give us some answers."

"I would suggest that you shut the hell up," Jaden acidly replied. Haou was pleased in the back of Jaden's mind, but that went unknown to the angry teen.

"Ok Jaden," Atticus fumed, frustrated with the teen's frosty attitude. "You. Are. Going. To. Tell. Us."

Jaden pretended to be examining his finger nails.

"Now," added Alexis pointedly.

Jaden looked up at her, captivated by her eyes.

He gave a mighty sigh. "Alright…"

But he cast a quick look at Darkal.

"Not here," Darkal interrupted. "You never know who is watching here. Fairies and sprites like to patronize us with their tricks and invisibility."

Allian spoke with authority, "We have to get back to our base before the Overlord sends others to track us."

The group grumbled and complained, but gave in. The kept a very wary eye on Jaden the entire way. The boy folded his retractable wings against his back, so he looked normal again from the front. They took a break when night fell. Flying there was much quicker than walker… especially when you can fly up to 170mph with a good air current.

They all were resting, only a few were actually asleep. They were Alexis, who still need rest in Melody's opinion, Syrus, Karen the croc, Jim, and eventually Melody herself. Jaden was also asleep, but he didn't look like he was having a nice dream. He was tossing and turning violently, but the gang had enough sense to not try and wake him, remembering the injuries the sub-conscious Jaden had given Alexis.

**_Jaden's Dream (Jaden's POV) _**

_I was floating in a room I didn't recognize. It was dark and deep blue due to the fact that it was underwater. I looked down, and sure enough, my annoying merman tail was back. _

_So I'm in Everlost. Just what I need… another dimension! _

_"My precious guardian," cooed a feminine voice. It seemed familiar to me. "You have finally visited my throne. To what do I honor the pleasure of your visit?" _

_I turned in all directions and found the source of the voice. A young woman was swimming in the shadows near the throne. Wait… her throne? _

_"You're the Queen," I stated simply. "What do you want from me?" _

_"Oh, the usual," she said, her sweet voice poisonous. "World domination." _

_"Of course, how stupid of me," I sarcastically answered, my hand inching towards my now water-proof deck. _

_"None of that now, Jay," the Queen demanded. My hand froze. _

_"What the hell?" I exclaimed, unable to move my hand. _

_The Queen laughed, sending chills down my spine. "You've got spunk, like that Atrus. Too bad that I had to get rid of them…" _

_"What did you do to Atrus you-!" I started. _

_"Silence!" the Queen commanded. My voice was snatched from my throat. So I settled with glaring at her. "Look at my neck Jaden." _

_I did as I was commanded, although I tried resisting with every particle of my being. There was the oh-so-familiar shape of the medallion from my youth dangling from her neck. It was a gold teardrop with rubies on each side. There was flowing white writing on the chain and pendant. In the very center was an image of a red and white feather. _

_Where did she get that thing?! I panicked. _

_"Complete control over you," the Queen mused in that voice that was so familiar that it was driving me crazy. "Looks like I did beat my brother to destroying his world." _

_Her words made my heart go cold. If she had complete control over me because of that damn medallion, it was all over. Once she told me to release my power… she'd be dead… this world would be destroyed… and I wouldn't be able to stop. _

_The Queen swam out to meet me. She had long brown hair with red streaks in it. Her bangs were shaped like a lopsided "m" and her eyes were bright red with pink just around her pupils. Her tail was silver and pink; her fin was white with pink tips. _

_Melody! _

I jerked awake in the present, sitting upright with my hand flying to the hilt of my sword. My friends were glancing at me, still really pissed. I ignored them and looked at my cousin in desperation. She was curled up against Jesse, smiling in her sleep looking serene.

Her brown hair with red streaks fell across her face and she snuggled closer to Jesse muttering something about her brother under her breath. It sounded like she was worried about him. I sighed, it was just a dream, it had to be. My little cuz wouldn't hurt anyone, and besides, Melody doesn't have red eyes.

**_Just like you don't have gold eyes? _**Haou input.

_Shut up Haou! _I snapped. I put my hand over my heart, which felt like it was threatening to burst out of my chest (lovely picture isn't it) because it was beating so fast. I couldn't take it anymore, I jumped into the air, opening my wings and flying in wide circles above our little camp, trying to calm down.

I watched them with Haou's sharp night vision. They were watching me with confusion and fear on their faces. Jesse was also being teased by Chazz about Melody against his body. Jesse shushed him and I felt myself starting to lose control again.

It snuck up on me so unexpectedly that I almost lost it right there and then. I struggled with my power silently, but started to lose altitude rapidly. Allian sprang into the air after me and flew above me, ready to grab me if I fell.

"Jaden, what is it? What did you see?" Allian asked gently.

I shook my head at her. Her electric blue eyes locked on me.

"That bad?" she asked.

I nodded. "I think this one was actually a dream this time though, not a vision."

"What makes you say that?" Allian softly asked me.

"Because Mels was the Queen," I whispered softly.

She looked stunned. "You're right, that's just a dream. I don't sense anything in Melody that is sinister, unlike you. She's safe Jaden. She's normal."

I sighed in relief. "Thank the gods for that," I praised. "I wouldn't want her to have to deal with this."

Allian flew besides me and brushed our wings together again. "Never in my 300 years of existence have I heard anyone actually not want that power to be shared."

I shook my head and smiled softly despite the pain in my head. "If anyone, I'm glad it was me that has to bear this curse. I wouldn't want my family to suffer like I do."

Allian smiled angelically at him. "That's why you are so hard to control by darkness Jaden, you have a gentle heart."

I felt uneasy when she said that. My heart was anything but gentle. My heart had died in that clearing with Alexis…

"Allian," I said, remembering something. "Atrus, Liz, and Adria have betrayed us and joined the Queen."

Allian glanced at him out of the corner of her eye. "They were found out in Everlost, Jaden. One of the 30 people was a traitorous back-stabber. They betrayed Serena and your friends and led them into a trap. We haven't heard of them since them."

I felt the weight of the world suddenly crash onto my shoulders. "They weren't betraying me on their own will… they were protecting their parents…"

"Jaden?" Allian asked when my eyes lost focus.

"Where's the nearest portal to the Everlost castle?" I demanded.

"In Learik Lake," Allian replied automatically. "We've already sent out messengers to the surviving members of resistance. They are reforming ranks to make a break-in attempt on the Queen's castle. They hope to find Leader Serena and the others in the dungeon and free the children."

"I have to be there with them. When are they going to strike?" I inquired. If they were going to face off against the Queen, I needed to be there. None of them were strong enough duelists to take on the Queen if she really was Melody…

I shook my head. _No, Melody is not the Queen, Allian doesn't sense anything wrong with her,_ I chided myself.

**_Maybe something isn't wrong now. Maybe it will happen later on,_** my other half responded.

"They are going to strike in a week from today," Allian answered. "But be careful when you confront the Queen Jaden, she will be powerful."

"I'll avoid contact with her unless it is absolutely necessary," I promised. She managed to coax me back onto the ground and I once again fell into an uneasy sleep, dreaming about how the Overlord had hurt me last…

**_Flashback (Jaden's POV still) _**

_"Mommy?" I asked, whipping the sleep from my eyes. My mother was standing over me. Our bags were packed. _

_"Shush, honey," she whispered not unkindly. "Come with Mommy. That's a good boy." _

_I blinked sleepily at her and followed her out into her car. "Where are we going Mommy? Are we going to see Mels and Aunt Cathie and Uncle Derrick again?" _

_"Of course, Jay," my mother responded. "Now why don't you get some sleep honey?" _

_I was already out before she finished her sentence. _

_When I woke up, I was in my mother's arms in a small room filled with seats. I looked out the window and saw the night stars flashing past. "Ack!" I shouted, waking my mother. _

_Madi Yuki smiled groggily at me. "What is it sweety?" _

_"We're flying!" I exclaimed, pointing out the window. _

_She smiled. "Yes we are Jay. We're in an airplane." She started explaining to me what an airplane was until I fell back asleep. _

_When I woke up this time, I was in a hard bed. My mother was lying beside me, her arms holding me close. Tears were streaming down her face. _

_"Mom, what's up?" I wondered, whipping the tears off her face. _

_"Jaden, I'm so sorry! I'm such an idiot! I just up and left!" My mom sobbed. _

_"It's ok Mom, it is okay!" I cooed softly, like she did to me when I was upset. I had figured out that we were in a hotel somewhere. I understood why she had left, she was afraid. _

_She was afraid of what happened to me that day in Aunt Cathie's garden. So she spirited us away. My mother pulled me closer to her and stroked my hair gently, her tears stopped. _

_"My job at Kaiba Corp is stable, so we don't need to worry about anything like that," Madi Yuki tried explaining to me. _

_"Mom," I said. "You don't have to explain yourself, I understand." _

_I hugged my mom back and she laughed. "You really can read people well Jaden Charles Yuki." _

_(Skips forward a few months) _

_I waited until my mom left for work. She smiled at our maid and told her to keep an eye on me. I put on an innocent face and kissed her cheek. My mom kissed my head and told me she'd be back soon. _

_"Good-bye Jay," she said. She was sounding more like her usual cheery self. "Be a good boy for Clara, okay?" _

_"Bye Momma," I sweetly replied. "I will." _

_It'll be like I'm not even there. _

_She walked out the door. Minutes later, I had successfully ditched Clara and was wandering around the city with Serena's pendant in my hand. It was vibrating and letting off a tiny glow in my fist. A rebel-friendly portal was close by. _

_I passed an apartment building and the pendant went cold. Frowning, I backtracked until it started to glow again. I looked up. I was staring at the fire escape ladder of the building. It was conveniently left down. _

_I scrambled up the ladder like a monkey and the pendent starting glowing like nuts. I climbed onto one of those platforms between the ladders and started to climb higher when I noticed something slightly weird about the air beyond the railing. _

_I stared at it for a few seconds and then made one of my famous spur-of-the-moment decisions. I stuck my hand through the portal and two strong hands seized mine on the other side. _

_Before I even had time to gasp, I was pulled into the strange world of Evermore. My bones felt like they were on fire and my back hurt like crazy. Then my feet hit solid ground and all of the pain vanished. _

_I was looking up at a man with brown hair that fell to his shoulders and kind gray eyes. He also had sweet looking black and red dragon wings sticking out of his back, reminding me of a fallen angel. _

_"Hello, you must be Jaden Yuki," the man said in a smooth voice. "My name is Darkal Morrisettel and I am a fallen angel." _

_"Nice to meet ya!" I replied. "Serena told me 'bout you a couple of days ago!" _

_The man laughed at my enthusiasm. "We spoke to her too, and she said that you were a duelist." _

_"Yeah!" I shouted, making my victory sign and holding up my deck and duel-disk. _

_"I like you," someone else said suddenly. "You've got a fiery spirit." _

_The woman was wearing a white dress and a green one of those weird renaissance type things that woman wear. (AN: Corsets) _

_"Hi, Jaden," she smiled at me sweetly. "My name's Allian Pronscea." _

_"Aren't you the rebel leader?" I wondered. _

_She winked at me with one of her electric blue eyes. "Yep." _

_I was practically bouncing up and down with excitement. _

_"I'll also be the one teaching you how to use a sword to defend yourself here… and teaching you how to fight while flying," Allian smirked, eyeing my back. _

_"Eh?" I said, twisting around. My jaw dropped. Jutting out of my back were two red, white, and gold wings. They had punctured through my T-shirt. On my side was a brilliant sword. "WHAT THE-!" I exclaimed. _

_Allian laughed at my reaction. "You adapt to the world you're in, remember?" _

_"Now I do," I replied, pumping my wings up and down to get airborne. She and Darkal followed me idly, occasionally giving me advice on how to position my wings. _

_(Time skip, three years. Jaden 10 years old) _

_Three years later I knew where all of the portals in the city were by heart and I could use a sword on the ground or in the air. I was also one of the fastest fliers in the rebellion. Right now, I was hovering above Learik Lake uncertainly. _

_"I just dive in the water?" I asked Lillian, the girl my age nodded. We grasped each other's hands and she locked her butterfly-like wings. I mimicked her under Darkal's supervision and when broke the surface of the calm lake. _

_The familiar pain racked my body, but I didn't pass out because this was a stable portal instead of a summoned gate. Lillian was using her air sac as an air-tank in the clear Everlost water. She had about half a day of air in her tiny lungs. _

_I, of course, had my red-gold tail, gold-rimmed white fins, and gills to keep me safe. Atrus, Liz, Adria, and Serena were waiting for us. I was immediately embraced by my friends. _

_We talked for a while, until Liz burst out news that she had been dying to tell me since she saw me again. "Your cousin, Melody, made contact with us a few days ago. She's learning how to use a sword from Patrick, and she wants to know how you are doing." _

_I smiled. This was AWESOME news! Melody was helping us out! I started cheering and my cross-dimensional friends celebrated with me. _

_When Lillian and I finally came back through the portal, Darkal was smirking. "Did you guys enjoy your first trip?" _

_"You have no idea," I laughed, wrapping my arms around Lillian's shoulder. She did the same to me. "Right Lilly?" _

_"Definitely," she replied, bright green eyes sparkling. _

_(A year later) _

_Lillian and I were resting under one of the few trees in Evermore. We were staring out into the sun peacefully, our hands intertwined. _

_We had just finished talking to our friends under the sea. Melody was showing as much talent with a sword as I was, so we both stopped worrying about her not being able to defend herself. _

_I smiled lightly, putting my arm around Lilly's shoulders, just above her wings. She smiled and snuggled closer to me. Something about being with her felt right. I couldn't say it was love, but I felt more comfortable with her than I had with anyone in a long time. _

_(Three years later. Jaden's 13) _

_I was playing baseball with a few of my human friends. We weren't keeping score, just passing the time. _

_"Hey Jay!" someone called from behind me. I turned around from the pitching mound and saw a beautiful girl with bright brown eyes and red hair walking onto the stadium. My friends melted at the sight of her. _

_"Who is she Jaden?" asked Kyle in a dreamy voice. I suppressed a laugh with difficulty. _

_"His girlfriend," the girl said smiling, "from out-of-town." _

_She winked at me. By out of town she meant Evermore. "What brings you here Lilly?" I asked her, using her nick name. _

_"Your cousin, as usual, is being an ass," Lillian replied, her butterfly wings hidden because of her magic. "And I need to get away for a while." _

_My friends were confused, but I wasn't. Nick had managed to get involved with Evermore's Overlord somehow and was constantly trying to kill Lillian, believing her to be my angel. _

_I didn't know if that was true yet… I liked her _a lot_ and I know she felt the same way about me… but I wasn't sure if it was love. _

_I glanced around at my friends and saw that there was no chance of finishing the game now that they were gaping at me. _

_"How did you manage to catch one like her?" Smith said, like an idiot. _

_I braced myself and said, "You might wanna run now." _

_"Why-?" he started before being smacked by Lillian. _

_"Listen up, buddy," she said in her sweetest voice. "I. Am. Not. An. Object. Got that?" _

_Smith nodded, holding his cheek. Lillian muttered something about 'sexist pig' under her breath and then turned back to me, smiling. _

_"Still the same as ever I see," I said, trying not to laugh again. My girlfriend smiled as my friends praised her. _

_"Are you a duelist Lilly?" asked Kyle. _

_"Yeah," she said, "but I left my cards at home." _

_Meaning that she didn't want to show them that her cards were from another dimension, _I thought idly.

_I grasped her tan had firmly and her eyes lit up. "So do you want a tour of the city?" I asked her. _

_She nodded. _

_"Come on guys!" We both called out at the same time. My friends followed me absently. Zach was staring at Lillian like he had never seen a girl before. _

_"You might want to put your tongue back in your mouth, lover-boy," I heard James whisper. Lilly was trying not to laugh. _

_We all gave her a tour of **(AN: Yes the city's made up) **Strath City in roughly two hours before we had to go home since it was getting dark. My friends broke off in group of two and three, James winking at me and gesturing towards Lilly encouragingly. So now it was just Lilly and I. _

_We smiled under the sunset and locked arms together. "Shall I walk you home, Fairy Lilly?" _

_She smiled nicely, showing off her perfect teeth. "You may Guardian Jay." _

_She was the only I let call me guardian. _

_We smiled and walked to the portal nearest my home to spend more time together. We chatted and Lilly imitated Zack's face very well a few times. We laughed and we reached the portal too soon. I stepped in with her to make sure the coast was clear. Nothing moved around us. _

_"Well good-night, Jaden," Lillian smiled, leaning in towards me. _

_"Night," I replied before kissing her on the lips. She smiled and kissed me back. I lost track of time as I kissed her, which happened a lot, trust me. But then I heard a crack of lightning, and Lillian collapsed into my arms. _

_"Lillian!" I exclaimed, kneeling down. She vanished in particles of light. My cousin was suddenly standing in front of me, his hand glowing with a purple aura. _

_"That's the end of your little angel Jaden," he taunted. _

_Rage and hatred built up in me faster than he could blink. Tears were streaming down my face as I realized Lillian was dead and there was nothing I could do to bring her back. _

_Although I desperately wanted to just let go and go berserk on Nick, I kept my power in check, not wanting the memory of Lilly to be stained with anything. Nick frowned when I didn't blast him into oblivion. He had wanted me to lose it. _

_I slowly stood up and drew my sword; my eyes still brown, but blazing with hatred. Nick spread out his demon wings that he had given himself and drew his black sword as well. We launched ourselves at each other, fighting in complete fury until I managed to slit open his arm. He staggered back in pain and took off into the night sky. I chased him until we reached the castle and then spun away before I would fall into the hands of the Overlord. _

_I was bruised and bloodied up and by the time I got home, it was 11:00 pm. My mother had a fit when she saw me in this state, and tears starting sliding down my cheeks. Now it wasn't only the sorrow of losing Lillian, the person I had been closest too and held dear, they were tears of anger that I didn't get Nick… that Nick, MY OWN COUSIN, killed the person that I may have loved. _

_But even though my heart was in two, I my soul still was as well… so Lillian had not been my angel. But that didn't matter now… she was dead. Dead for being close to me. Dead for the wrong reasons. If I ever did find my angel… I swear that I won't let this happen to her. _

_I'll do anything to protect her, even break her heart. _

I woke up with a start again. Jesse had fallen asleep now and Chazz was glaring at me. Aster was dozing next to Zane, who was also watching me. My gaze fell on my angel, Alexis.

_I will do anything to protect you,_ I thought. _I won't fail you like before. I've already broken your heart. And its going to stay that way._

**Quotes:**

**"Jaden's powers are getting worse," Allian whispered to Darkal. "I dont' know how long he can hold out without his angel."**

**"Why won't he get back together with her?" Darkal asked. **

**Allian told him about Jaden's old girlfriend, Lillian. **

**"I don't understand why all of this was put on his shoulders," Darkal sighed. "Jaden is a very kind boy, but now he's starting to lose his way."**

**Jaden was standing on the cliff, thinking about his father. "If my father was the Overlord before Nick killed him... isn't it possible that Melody could be the Queen?" he said to no one in particular.**

**"The Queen of what Jaden?" Alexis asked, walking up to him.**

**"Nothing," he snapped, starting to walk away. **

**She held him back with a soft touch. "You still are lying to us Jaden. I have to give you credit though, you're a very good liar. That took some quick-thinking to come up with."**

**Jaden glanced at her, confused.**

**"But I talked to that demon, Gravelon. He told me about Lillian. I know why everyone keeps calling me angel and you guardian. But now I want to hear the story from your mouth," Alexis whispered gently. "Guardian of the Angel."**


	18. Heir of Evermore

**DISCLAIMER: I DON'T OWN YUGIOH GX! **

**Most of this chapter is in Alexis's POV. I'll tell you when its not. **

**Chapter 17 **

I can't believe that I didn't notice it before. Now that I knew what Jaden was… or at least that he was a warrior in every definition of the word, I started to pick up on the subtle hints in his body language. They seemed so obvious now!

The way he stands, they way he looks around, even the way he walks…

Even when he was relaxed, I could still see it. When he walks, it wasn't that air of confidence that I took as comforting and protecting. It was his stance to. He was always in a good position to whip out his sword, dive to the side, or spring into the air. It was that same walk that he had at Duel Academy, just more pronounced since we were all in danger anyway.

I can't believe that I didn't see these signs! His eyes were constantly shifting around, taking in everything multiple times to ensure that his friends were safe. Occasionally he would focus on something that I couldn't see, but then his brown gaze would flicker upwards or to the side dismissively.

One thing I noticed though, something I thought was important. His stance was always a defensive one. He never positioned himself to attack something else, just to defend himself and us.

I found this fact comforting. My Jaden was still in there somewhere.

I picked up my pace until I was walking beside him. His stance shifted to match mine in a blink of an eye. He had known I was watching him, I was sure of that.

"Jaden," I sighed, glancing up at him with my hazel eyes.

He glanced down at me and something flickered briefly in his handsome features before he placed on his mask of cool indifference.

I recognized it as love.

"Yes?" he replied emotionlessly.

"I thought that you'd like to hear something that Nick told me," I started, smart enough to know that Nick was a huge part of whatever Jaden's problems were.

He was curious. "What's that?"

"I was talking to him that night, before we came into this world, I mean," I said, wanting to be absolutely clear.

Now just plain fear flashed across his entire face. His hands clenched into fists at his side. His voice was unreasonably steady though. "What were you talking to Nick about?"

"I want to know what was going on," I replied evasively. "But he side-tracked me with a certain saying… guardians and angels to be exact."

Jaden's footsteps came to an abrupt halt. I had all of his attention now. "What did you tell him?" he hissed, his voice full of anger.

He surprised me, but I knew he wasn't mad at me. He was mad at Nick.

"When I asked Nick why he kept calling me angel," I carefully said, "he said that was what they call soul-mates… guardian and angel. I told him I wasn't sure if I believed in soul-mates."

"Did he ask if you were my girlfriend?" Jaden said in that low, cold, even demonic voice. His eyes were staring in the distance at something I couldn't see again. They had a bit of a gold sheen to them.

"Yes," I answered plainly. "I told him no."

"And you told him that we broke up that day." It wasn't a question.

I nodded anyway. Jaden turned his attention back towards the group and started walking there briskly. I followed in his wake, still confused. Instead of getting some answers, I kept getting more questions!

Like, for starters, why the heck does Jaden have wings?

Or, what does me being his angel have to do with anything?

And better yet, what is this presence I feel when I touch him?

"Alexis?" Jaden said when we caught up to the others.

I put my hand on his arm gently. He recoiled from my touch again. "Yes, Jay?"

Jaden turned his head slightly so that he was looking at me. "You're not my angel, got it?"

I didn't understand. Something about the tone in his voice made it sound like he was trying to lead me on. Like he was saying "If anyone asks, just tell them no."

I glared at him pointedly. "I think I am. And I think that has a big role in all of this. What does Nick mean when he calls me angel, Jaden?"

He muttered something under his breath and said, "It doesn't mean anything, don't worry about it."

"Don't insult my intelligence Jaden," I calmly said, proud at myself for not blowing up on him. "I am well aware that you are hiding something from us."

"Duh," Jaden frostily replied. "But you'll find out when we get to the base anyway so stop bothering me with it now."

He spread his enchantingly beautiful wings and leapt into the sky. He made wide circles around us while I watched, fascinated.

"Lex?" Atticus said, coming over to me. "I'd be careful around him if I were you."

I glared at my brother. How dare he say that about Jaden! Wasn't Jaden the one who was always saving us? Always putting us before him? Even now there had to be a reason why he wasn't revealing everything to us, not saying that I won't do everything within my power to find out, just that he would normally have some kind of life-or-death situation for him not to be telling us…

"Have you forgotten that this is Jaden you are talking about?" I snapped.

"No, I haven't," Atticus replied. "Listen to me Lex, he's not human. He's dangerous!"

I glanced up at the figure that was Jaden, floating gracefully through the sky. "Jaden's not dangerous, not to me, Atticus. Jaden won't hurt us. He's protecting us."

Atticus looked like he was ready to shake me. "Alexis-_please_-listen! Jaden hasn't been himself lately. Just be careful around him. Doesn't it scare you at all… not knowing what his is and if we can trust him?"

I blew up on him, I didn't mean to, but to say all these harsh words about Jaden—_The same Jaden that has saved us so many times and has even saved the world! _

"You listen to me, brother!" I hissed in a voice that was terrifying. "I know I can trust Jaden. He has never done anything to physically hurt me. He has saved all of your sorry behinds too many times to count and this is the thanks you give him?! I'm not scared of him at all! HE'S JADEN FOR PETE'S SAKE! I'd love him even if he had a tail with those wings."

Atticus stared blankly at me. The commotion had caught the attention of our little group and everyone was looking at me funny except for Melody, Pegasus, Darkal, Jesse, and Allian. Those five were smiling at me softly.

I smiled back at them and glared at everyone else. Jesse stopped smiling and looked up at Jaden absently. "I wonder what its like to fly," he said, changing the subject sort-of.

Allian got this dreamy look in her eyes. "It's wonderful. You have the freedom to go anywhere in the world at any time… feeling the breeze through your hair and the sun on your wings," she sighed. "It's marvelous."

"I wouldn't mind giving it a try," I answered brightly.

Jaden suddenly swooped down besides us. "Hop on!" he teased, holding open his arms for me.

Melody squealed in delight as I jumped into her cousin's arms. She was obviously happy that Jaden was defrosting his heart a bit. Atticus and Aster took a step forward as if to stop him, but Jaden and I were already soaring through the air.

It was beautiful up here. We could see miles ahead of us and the wind blew gently on my face. I was also in the comforting embrace of Jaden's arms. I hadn't realized how much I missed that until now.

My arms wrapped around him tightly and I let out a whoop. Jaden smiled besides me and laughed quietly. Why was it that I could always cheer him up and he always made me feel safe?

"Thanks," Jaden told me, "for defending me. Why do you really think that Alexis?"

I blushed; he had heard my argument with Atticus.

"Jaden," I answered happily. "There is nothing to thank me for. Atticus just needed someone to slap some sense into him. You're still you. I think that because I trust you Jaden. I'm in love with you. And I know you still love me. Mystic told us all what you did to protect me, Jaden."

He almost dropped me he was so stunned. "What was that DEMON doing in Melody's house?!"

The presence inside him came roaring back to life in full throttle. Jaden looked livid again, all happiness gone from his face. I leaned my face close to his and kissed him on the cheek.

My loved one calmed down, looking at me in confusion. "Why'd you do that?"

"You were losing your cool," I replied warmly. He glared at me.

"Don't do it again," he snapped.

"Jaden…"

"No, Alexis. I don't know what that demon said to you, but nothing's changed."

I sighed and looked down at the scenery below us. We had long ago outstripped our friends. I bet Atticus was worried out of his mind. Oh well, this could just be used as proof that Jaden won't hurt me.

We angled down sharply all of the sudden, veering towards the canyon. Jaden tilted his wings this way and that way in a natural and fluid motion. We were flying right beside the cliffs wall now; Jaden's brown eyes were sweeping the rocks as if he was looking for something. He must have found it because he turned towards the stones suddenly, and we passed through them like nothing was there!

He chuckled at my expression as he placed me down on solid ground _inside_ of the wall of rock. "It's just an illusion Alexis. That's something the sprites and fairies like to do to hide us."

We were in a huge cavern with around fifty people milling around. Some of them were sparring with each other, most were observing or being taught. They all stopped when we came in and stared at us.

Jaden smiled and waved at them. He was met with a smorgasbord of senseless noise, mainly applause. Several people waved and called out his name excitedly.

"You've returned a few months early, eh Jaden?" a man with a gravely voice asked. He had a slightly stooped stance and his skin was wrinkly. He was a light gray color and his eyes were just barely open. He had long tapered ears and wispy white hair.

Jaden bowed his head to the older man. "Nick sent us here early, Gravelon."

The creature nodded his old head. "And how was your school year this time? Did you have to stop another crazed maniac from taking over the world?"

Jaden seemed a bit uncomfortable with answering that question, so I answered it for him. "Yeah, that's just a normal year at Duel Academy though. We'd be worried if nothing eventful happened."

"Hello, little lady," Gravelon said to me. "What, may I ask, is your name?"

I bowed my head like Jaden did. "Alexis Rhodes, sir," I replied.

"Nice to meet you Alexis, dear," Gravelon politely answered. He turned towards Jaden again.

"Would you like me to watch over her while you go back to your other friends Jaden?" he asked.

Jaden bowed his head again. "Yes, thank you Gravelon. And I never got the chance to ask you, how's your back been doing?"

"Oh, it's getting better. It'll take more than chopping off my wings to keep me grounded!" Gravelon chuckled and patted Jaden's shoulder. My brunette smiled and took off through the rock wall.

I looked back into the cavern and everyone had gone back to there business with lighter expressions. Just like at Duel Academy, Jaden's presence filled everyone with hope.

"Now would you like to wash up Miss Alexis? I'd imagine being covered in all that dragon blood isn't pleasant," Gravelon said.

I looked down. Yep, I was covered in red blood. "Yes please," I said, feeling a bit squeamish.

The old man chuckled again and led me through the tunnels. "The woman's bathing room is up ahead, it's natural spring water that falls from the ceiling, so it's clean. I believe there is soap in there, and I'll have Alice get you some new clothing, she'll have fun with that…"

I wasn't paying too much attention to Gravelon; I was fascinated with everything going on around me. There were creatures of all different sizes, shapes, and colors around me. They all had wings of some sort, or a few were just hovering without wings in midair. I gawked especially at the butterfly-like wings on some of the females. They never stayed the same color for more than a minute it seemed!

Gravelon must have noticed me staring because he said, "Those are fairies, their wings and eyes color changes with their moods. The longest I've ever seen a fairy's wings the same color was back when Lillian and Jaden were together. That girl's wings were always brown and bright green whenever he was around. Err… for calm and excitement. They would occasionally flash pink for love, but never really for long… I don't think they were ever truly in love… but they made one heck of a couple for a while."

I stopped walking. Jaden used to have a girlfriend from Evermore? "What happened?" I asked. Maybe this will shed some light on why Jaden was acting this way towards me.

Gravelon frowned and shook his head. "Now, Alexis dear. This is something that is a very sensitive subject with Jaden."

"Please tell me Gravelon," I pleaded. "Jaden means the world to me and he has me worried. Ever since the Dark World, Jaden hasn't been acting like himself. He's been icy and secretive ever since we met the messenger… and I just know something is wrong with him. I'm really worried about him."

Gravelon suddenly had a serious look on his face. "Jaden went into the Dark World?"

I nodded, wondering why this was news.

"Oh dear," Gravelon whispered shaking his head. "Poor Jaden… he must have had it rough there. That world is dangerous, especially for him. Tell me what occurred there Alexis, it is very important."

"Now, Gravelon dear. This is something that is a very sensitive subject with Jaden," I repeated stubbornly. "I have just as much a right to know as you do, probably more. I'm Jaden's angel."

Gravelon's eyes widened. "You shouldn't exactly flaunt that dear. It's not safe."

"Why not?" I demanded. I was tired of being kept in the dark.

Gravelon sighed. "If I tell you about what happened with Lillian, will you tell me what happened in the Dark World?"

"No," I answered. "If you tell me what happened with Lillian _and_ what this 'angel and guardian' business is, I'll tell you. I need answers Gravelon. Something is terribly wrong with Jaden; I can feel it every time I get near him."

Gravelon agreed warily.

"Thank you Gravelon," I whispered, almost crying with anticipation.

* * *

(JADEN'S POV)

_I can't believe that she is still defending me,_ I thought, flying through the azure skies in the general direction of Darkal and Allian.

**_How many times must I say it? She is in love with you Jaden. There is nothing you can do to change that, _**Haou said.

_Is that really all there is to it? That she loves me? I think that there is something more. She can feel our secret every time she gets close to us, and she can usually perceive people in a way that's different from the rest of us. _

**_She knows something is amiss, that much is obvious with our wings. She doesn't know what it is though. You just passed your friends Jaden; you're flying faster than usual. _**

_Oops, _I thought, backtracking. I landed smoothly next to them. Atticus was glaring at my Alexis-less arms.

"Where's my sister Jaden?" he demanded.

"I brought her to the rebel base, she'll be safe there," I replied evenly. "Who's next?"

Allian and Darkal smirked at me. "I can take someone too," Darkal added.

"Melody and I will stay here with you guys in case we are attacked. You need someone who can use a sword," Allian continued for her friend.

Jim looked at Melody curiously. "You can use a sword sheila?"

Melody nodded evenly. "Since I was little," she replied happily.

"So you're in on this too?" Hassleberry groaned.

"At the risk of sound cliché, that's for me to know and you to find out," Melody answered.

"If you say so," Hassleberry muttered under his breath.

"We can bring two of you, any volunteers or do we just have to surprise you?" Darkal calmly stated.

"I'll go with Jay," Syrus said, stepping forward. I smiled at my brave little friend. He's changed a lot from that scared little kid he used to be.

I grabbed him around the waist and pumped my wings hard a few times until we were hovering a few feet off the ground. He didn't freak out, so I flew higher and waited for Darkal to get his next 'victim'.

Hassleberry offered to go, still competitive with Syrus even though he was afraid of me, I could see it in his eyes. Darkal flew up to me and we took off. I was easily outstripping Darkal, something that didn't happen very often.

He caught up to me after some effort and asked, "What's up with the speed Jaden?"

"I dunno," I said truthfully. "I guess I'm just a bit nervous about everything."

"About what?" Sy asked from my arms.

"About the war," I replied evasively.

"Come on soldier! Let's show some fighting spirit!" Hassleberry shouted.

I rolled my eyes at him. We flew in silence for a while. Darkal kept looking at me out of the corner of his eyes as if waiting for me to snap. Was my secret really that obviously out in the open right now?

We reached the cliff quickly because of my increased speed. I didn't want to admit it to Darkal, but I had my suspicions that my heightened reflexes and speeds were because of Haou and my secret making themselves known. We flew through the wall, much to the astonishment of my two friends, and met the others again. Alexis and Gravelon were nowhere to be seen. Gravelon was probably showing Alexis where the bathing rooms were.

Darkal got the attention of Alice Spinet, a very energetic sprite, and she led my friends down the hall that led to the men's rooms. She then bounced around to go weave them her clothing with her magic. I shook my head at the teen, trying not to laugh.

"Shall we go back for the others now?" Darkal asked me. I nodded and we flew off.

"So why do you keep staring at me?" I asked him, even though I knew.

"Your power is more pronounced than usually Jaden, your aura is almost completely white and gold," Darkal replied tonelessly.

I sighed. I had to tell them eventually. "That's because I met my gold aura this school year."

"Huh?" Darkal said.

"My gold aura, Darkal. Haou," I repeated evenly.

His eyes narrowed. "How is that possible?"

**_I'm right here! Can't you sense me at all?_** Haou directed from my mind towards Darkal.

_It doesn't work like that Haou, _I replied silently.

"Your aura!" Darkal cried. "It just flashed gold! What just happened?"

**_See, it worked just fine, _**Haou smugly said.

_Whatever,_ I sighed.

"Well, I met with one of my duel-spirits from when I was little, after I shot her into space and she absorbed some dark energy. She came back and sought me out. Yubel dragged my school into another dimension, the Three-Suns Desert; I think it's called… Anywho, to make a long story short, me and my Jesse dueled her to get back to our dimension. Jesse sacrificed himself to save all of us. So we returned to our world without him."

I gave him a brief description of our events in the Dark World and then defeating Yubel by combining Haou and I, my two sides, together into one. I told him how I finally had complete control over my power, until something happened in the gate. That something being me stabbed in the heart. For some reason, that caused Haou and I to separate again, and my power to become unstable once more.

Darkal shook his head in dismay. "You're in for a rough ride now that both of your evils are awake Jaden."

"No, Darkal. Haou is the personality that overtakes me when my power is activated, but I fought against my secret while Haou was taking over, making him incapably of using it for the time being. I started to lose during my battle with Axel though, it was just too strong for me to handle," I replied. "All the times that my power had broken free before, that was just that, only my power. At first in Everlost, Haou did have limited control over my secret. Haou is kind of like my fail safe if everything goes wrong. But that medallion had already messed up our connection to each other, so my power eventually went crazy and neither of us could control it. Haou _is _my evil."

**_Thank you,_** Haou replied in my head. **_I couldn't have said it any better myself. _**

_Is that a joke?_ I asked.

"Are you talking to him now?" Darkal interrupted.

"Not anymore," I reacted.

He eyed me.

"Sorry," I apologized. "I can't help it, talking to Haou usually makes me aggravated."

"It's alright Jaden," Darkal understood. "I just saw your aura get gold spots in it. Now I understand why, you're talking to your other half. Before… I was afraid that you were falling to the darkness instead."

"Sometimes I think I am too, Darkal," I whispered quietly.

He cast an alarmed glance at me, but couldn't say anything. We were back with my friends.

**

* * *

**

**(Alexis' POV)**

I let the warm water run through my hair, cleansing me and trying to get rid of all of the horrible things I had just heard. All of this couldn't be about Jaden. Not my Jaden. This couldn't be real…

I stood there for the longest time. When I finally stepped out of the mini waterfall and wrapped my towel around myself, I just sat down on one of the stone benches waiting for Alice to bring me some clothes.

"Jaden…," I whispered into the tunnel. I got no answer.

**(That night)**

We were all sitting around a fire, no one really talking. Jaden's wings were spread out behind him, just barely brushing against me. I ran my fingers through his feathers again, just to make sure they were real.

He glanced at me but didn't draw away. I was wearing a simple pale blue dress that was slit down the sides so that I could move easily. I wore dark blue shorts under it. Jaden was wearing an open-neck long sleeve white shirt under a leather sleeveless jacket. Alice had cut holes in the back for his wings. Jaden wore long jean shorts and his academy shoes. He had his leather belt and sword across his waist. We had all been given simple white duel-disks. He was wearing his on his arm.

The other boys were dressed similar to Jaden, but I personally thought he pulled off the look the best.

Zane put his fingers together in a triangle and leaned forward. "Well, Jaden? We're waiting."

He sighed, and now I understood why it was so hard for him to tell us. It was a life-endangering secret. Should I try to intervene? Or did he already have a lie planned?

"I'm not sure where to start," Jaden admitted. "My story really doesn't have a beginning."

"How about you start with the wings?" Axel suggested.

Jaden's eyes snapped on him. "My wings… I thought you were going to ask what the hell I am, like Chazz did."

"Okay, well that's along the same principles," Bastion supposed.

Jaden shrugged and began. "First off, and please don't interrupt, I am human. I am aware that not most humans have wings, thank you Chazz." Jaden said coldly when Chazz opened his mouth. "But I am different than most humans. When I travel into different dimensions, I adapt to the situation so that I have a better chance to survive. For example, we're in Evermore, home to all winged fantasy creatures. So I have wings."

"Okay, then what about the desert world or the Dark World?" Aster asked.

"In the desert world, in case you didn't notice I wasn't as prone to jump into duels without knowing what to expect. I was more easily frustrated. That is a survival instinct that I gained while I was there, because of the fact that dueling in the desert world is 100 real. But I didn't notice my attitude at the time, because all of my adaptations feel natural to me," Jaden explained. "In the dark world, I thought that would be obvious. I became dark. I did not think about any of you. I kept sight on what my goal was and nothing else. I knew what to do and what to say to the monsters there. I angered quickly. My other half surfaced. Simple."

"So you kept this a secret from us why?" Jim inquired. "And for how long have you been coming to this dimension?"

"I've been coming and going to and from this dimension since I was seven years old."

There were collective gasps around the circle.

"Why have you been coming here since you were seven?" Hassleberry demanded.

"I've been a part of the resistance to the war. The merpeople who I befriended after my father's 'death' were a part of the resistance, which is how I got into it," Jaden replied shortly. "With my abilities… I could travel more easily through the worlds and relay messages, I was a powerful duelist, and I learned how to use a sword quickly. But… those aren't the only reasons why I am targeted by both the Overlord of Evermore and the Queen of Everlost…"

"And that reason is?" Bastion prompted.

Jaden looked up at all of us. His eyes blazed with a mixture of emotions. Guilt, fear, hatred, concern, and love could be easily indentified. Whatever he was about to say, we could all tell it would be the truth.

"I am the true heir to the Evermore throne," Jaden whispered.

There was collective silence while _everyone_ stared at Jaden. I didn't even know that fact! Melody was looking at Jaden as if he had grown another head; Pegasus was staring at Jaden carefully, obviously trying to detect a lie.

"My father, Charles Yuki, was the Overlord before being murdered by this current one," Jaden whispered as if it pained him.

"I thought you said your father died when you were one," Aster said in an undertone.

"I thought he did," Jaden said. "But he didn't. I woke up before all of you did when we came into this world. There was one of the Overlord's mistakes in front of me."-he made a gesture that meant he would explain what the Overlord's mistake was-"And I pinned him to the ground. He told me that his name was Caravelon and that he had been thrown out of the Evermore castle along with many others because he was an imperfect dragon-human combo. He was a mistake. He told me that the new Overlord decreed this after the old Overlord, Charles Yuki, was murdered."

Jaden wasn't really focused on us anymore; he seemed to be off on memory lane. "He told me of the cycle of the Evermore Kings. They are of the Yuki bloodline, all with an evil side concealed until the day they are summoned by their fathers to take the throne, which is when they die. This royal bloodline wasn't discovered because of that, the sons never return home, so they are presumed to be dead."

"Then why aren't you ruling this world right now?" Chazz hinted.

"Because I am different from my father. For one fact, I was seven years old when he died. The true reason, I think is because I am a duelist. Being a duelist always made me draw out more and more of my potential at a young age and my duel spirits protected me," Jaden clarified. "Nick is the same way. He is a Yuki son, only a son of the younger son, so he did not inherit the throne. Instead of having his evil half repressed and locked away, his is alive and thriving. He's also a duelist, and a powerful one at that."

"So are you fighting to reclaim the throne Jaden?" I asked quietly.

He glanced at me again, his wings tensing below my fingertips.

"No," Jaden stated. "If anything, I'm fighting to destroy the throne, for while evil rules this world, it will always affect others."

Melody nodded from across the fire.

"How did you heal the dragon Jaden?" Syrus wondered.

Jaden gave a sad smile. "I could heal the dragon because of my adaptations Sy. Meaning, I can create the messengers too. So I could use that power to give Niemona her strength back."

They all nodded, trying to make sense of what Jaden had just told them. I was trying to figure out if this was a clever lie or a new truth that only Gravelon had not known.

"Now if you guys are done questioning me," Jaden whispered gently, "I'm going to go to sleep. You guys can follow me to your rooms if you want or you can talk to Allian, Darkal, Alice, or Gravelon if you want to stay up."

He really did look exhausted. There were dark purple shadows under his eyes and his eyelids were dropping. He stood up fluidly and I followed him. Melody and Pegasus trudged after us, both yawning.

Jaden stopped at a fork in one of the tunnels. Someone had carved in the stone above the passage 'Woman's Chambers' and 'Men's Chambers'. We separated here and bid each other good-night.

* * *

Allian and Darkal were whispering quietly in the main chamber. The nocturnal residents had already left and everyone else had turned in for the night. They had watched Jaden's friends have an in-depth discussion about Jaden's inheritance, the Evermore throne apparently.

The pair had watched Jaden walk away with his aura in chaos, white dominating the red and gold. The young man had seemed so exhausted too. All the more signs to coming danger.

"Jaden's powers are getting worse," Allian whispered to Darkal. "I don't know how long he can hold out without his angel."

"Why won't he get back together with her?" Darkal asked.

Allian told him about Jaden's old girlfriend, Lillian.

"I don't understand why all of this was put on his shoulders," Darkal sighed. "Jaden is a very kind boy, but now he's starting to lose his way."

Allian agreed quietly. "Fate has dealt him a hard life, but Jaden is still Jaden. He can always find the silver lining in any situation.

"Almost any," Darkal muttered.

"What do you mean?" Allian demanded impatiently.

"He went into the Dark World and met his other half, Allian," Darkal said. He gave his partner a brief description of what went on in that time period.

"Jaden is in more danger than we thought," Allian fumed. "With his other half present, Haou could start to influence Jaden's decisions, which will obvious twist to his Dark side's favor in some way."

Darkal nodded darkly. "There has to be something we can do to help him."

Allian shook her head. "The best thing that we can do for Jaden is to end this war so he can have some peace."

Darkal leaned against the wall tiredly. "Would that really help him? What will we do if we fail and he loses control?"

Allian closed her eyes sadly. "We'll have to do everything in our power to kill him."

* * *

(Jaden's POV)

_I was standing in darkness of heart again, surrounded by the reflection-less mirrors. Red feminine eyes stared down at me from those mirrors cruelly and violet masculine ones peaked out of the darkness around me. _

_"Your time has come Jaden Yuki," cried the two voices of my cousins together. _

_Gets of red water and gales of deep purple air slammed into me, making me fall to my knees in pain. _

_"He's mine!" cried Nick in a ferocious voice. He sent torrents of violent winds at the red eyes. _

_"He's fair game," replied Melody in a cool voice. Waves crashed around me, colliding with the air. The inferno raged around me until I cried out and collapsed onto the hard ground. _

_"You lose Jaden," Nick said harshly. _

_"No matter what you do," Melody added. _

_"We're waiting." _

I jerked awake with a shout. Pegasus stirred in his sleep from the other side of the room and Jesse rolled over on the bed next to me, but didn't wake up. I let my harsh breathing calm down before taking a hesitant step for the door. I know it was stupid, but I was afraid of opening the door and seeing those red and violet eyes staring down at me.

I made it down the hallway and up the stairs leading to the cliff for those whose wings are injured or simply prefer to walk. I came outside and breathed in the cool night air to calm down. The view of the stars was beautiful here, and it allowed me to collect my thoughts.

**(Alexis' POV) **

_I was 95 sure that I was dreaming. I was most likely dreaming because I was walking down the wedding aisle. But my feet still walked with purpose and my father walked beside me evenly. Atticus was waiting at the alter with basically all of our friends, being the best men and flower girls/ ladies in waiting. _

_I turned to look at the groom, who looked handsome in a tux. He had brown hair with a lighter shade on the top. My fiancé turned and looked at me with big cheerful brown eyes. My Jaden. _

_I smiled at him and took my place beside him. We said our vows and just as we were about to kiss, everything went dark. Jaden looked up and a low feral growl escaped his lips. I turned around and in the midst of everyone attempting to get away was a man with short spiky black hair and violet eyes. The reason why everyone feared him was the fact that he had massive dragon-like wings sticking out of his back and fingers that were tapered to a point. _

_Jaden pushed me behind him gently and approached the man. "You shouldn't have come here Nick," Jaden hissed in a deadly voice. The hairs on the back of my neck stood up as Jaden's power started to rise within him. My Jaden disappeared and was replaced by this predator. Jaden's steps were graceful and fluid. He looked as if he was a lion stalking his prey. His movements were slow and sinister. His eyes were already gold. _

_"Get out of here Alexis," Jaden whispered to me, still glaring at Nick. "If I don't snap out of it, run. Run and don't ever look back." _

_"Jaden?" I said. _

_He ignored me and started to unleash his forbidden power. The power that could end the world. _

I woke up with a frown on my face. Melody and Alice were still asleep in the other beds. I stretched out and started heading for the stairwell that would bring me outside. I know that Allian and Darkal kept warning me not to go outside alone, but I had my duel-disk. I'll be fine.

After walking up what seemed like an endless staircase, I took in my first refreshing breath of the cool night air. But I wasn't alone up here. There was a certain winged figure standing on the cliff, gazing at the stars with a thoughtful look on his face. Just by glancing at him, I knew it was Jaden. I made my way towards him, deciding that now was a good of time as ever to talk to him about what I knew.

**(Normal POV) **

Jaden was standing on the cliff, thinking about his father. "If my father was the Overlord before Nick killed him... isn't it possible that Melody could be the Queen?" he said to no one in particular.

"The Queen of what, Jaden?" Alexis asked, walking up to him.

"Nothing," he snapped, starting to walk away.

She held him back with a soft touch. "You still are lying to us Jaden. I have to give you credit though; you're a very good liar. That took some quick-thinking to come up with."

Jaden glanced at her, confused.

"But I talked to that demon, Gravelon. He told me about Lillian. I know why everyone keeps calling me angel and you guardian. But now I want to hear the story from your mouth," Alexis whispered gently. "Guardian of the Angel."

Jaden just stood there in shock, staring wide-eyed and panicky at Alexis.

**

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**BWAHAHAHA! You guys have to wait for the next chapter to hear Jaden's story! And yes, it will be there! It may even take up the entire chapter, depends on how carried away I get!!**

**So no quotes unless you want to be helplessly confused! **

**Oh! BAD news! My school is starting soon so I won't be as fast with updates! Dmn school! **


	19. Say WHAT? Part 1

**DISCLAIMER: I DON'T OWN YUGIOH GX!**

**HEY GUYS, THIS IS ONLY THE FIRST PART OF JADEN'S STORY, IT'S TAKING ME A REALLY LONG TIME TO WRITE THE WHOLE THING, BECAUSE THERE'S A LOT OF STUFF THAT HAPPENS! SO DON'T GET CONFUSED WHEN IT JUST ABRUBTLY CUTS OFF!**

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**Chapter 18**

She held him back with a soft touch. "You still are lying to us Jaden. I have to give you credit though; you're a very good liar. That took some quick-thinking to come up with."

Jaden glanced at her, confused.

"But I talked to that demon, Gravelon. He told me about Lillian. I know why everyone keeps calling me angel and you guardian. But now I want to hear the story from your mouth," Alexis whispered gently. "Guardian of the Angel."

Jaden just stood there in shock, staring wide-eyed and panicky at Alexis.

His angel wasn't smiling at his expression, she seemed worried.

"What I said before wasn't a lie," Jaden whispered.

"It wasn't all of the truth either," Alexis muttered.

"How much do you know?" Jaden sighed, his voice still unsteady.

"The basic outline," she replied, brushing strands of her golden hair out of her face. "Gravelon said you were the only one who knows the entire story though."

Jaden placed his hand under her chin and gently moved her face so that she was looking into his eyes. "Why are you still here then? Aren't you afraid?"

"Yes," she replied truthfully. "But not of you, Jaden, never of you."

"Why is that Alexis, I don't understand," Jaden whispered.

Her arms wove around his athletic waist. He didn't pull away this time. "Jaden, I could never be afraid of you, you are my shelter and my knight in shining armor whenever I'm in danger. I'm not afraid of my Jaden because I know I can trust him with my very life. I've seen his hope affect others who were already lost and guide them back to the light. I've seen him shine in the terrifying darkness and save the very world that we live in. I've seen him defeat death's cold grip and keep the faith to go on. I've seen him do miracles."

Jaden was very close to breaking down from Alexis's kind speech. After everything he had done to her… after everything that she had heard… she still had faith in him. Jaden held her close instead of pulling away, needed her comfort as much as she needed him.

"I'm sorry Alexis… for everything that I've done lately… for hurting you," Jaden whispered into her hair, tears starting to form in his shining brown eyes.

She held him close, lending him her support. "I forgive you Jaden, I already have," Alexis assured him, resting her head on his chest.

He sighed and tried to figure out the best angle to tackle this. "I should probably start with something we both know about… to make it less confusing…" he trailed off, trying to pick out something. He snapped his fingers suddenly.

"I got it! It's not really part of my story, but it sort of explains what I can do," Jaden mussed. "Remember the Sacred Beast cards and how my soul was needed to unlock them?"

Alexis nodded, that was kind of hard to forget about.

_Brief Flashback: (Japanese translation) _

_"However, the power of my three legendary demons hasn't been completed yet. Without this boundary, it is impossible to exercise the three legendary demons. In order to make them work, the power of spirits residing in you is necessary," Kagemaru said, his long purple hair swaying in the winds coming from the sacred beasts. _

_"The power exercising the spirits?" I asked, completely dumbfounded. Was he talking about my power or my duel spirits? _

_"If I can get the victory from this shadow duel, absorb your power, release the sacred beasts from this boundary, I will take the energy from the spirits of duel monsters all over the world!" _

"Well I already knew that," Jaden admitted. "But Kagemaru didn't know exactly why _my soul_ was the only thing that could 'tame' them."

He was looking up at the stars now, to anyone else it would appear as though they were just two lovers enjoying the view together… not having a conversation about a deadly power that could destroy the worlds.

"Their power… is similar to mine," Jaden continued, his brow furrowing in an attempt to explain it. "None of us can control it on our own… it is deadly no matter whose hands it falls into… even our own. He didn't understand that if I lost that if I lost that shadow game… I wouldn't have lost my soul to him. Nothing can rip my soul from me, not my _entire_ soul anyway. If I would have lost that duel, than Kagemaru would have received half of my soul, my good side I guess. But he wouldn't keep it for long. Because with my good half gone, my evil half, Haou would have appeared. And since our connection to each other was shattered, the chains that kept my secret dormant would have fallen away. My secret would first break free and Haou would use it to kill Kagemaru, thus setting me free from the shadows because he overpowered him. When the two halves of my soul rejoined, I would have complete control over the Sacred Beasts… because my power is stronger than there own. I can manipulate the cards with my own darkness and send them to destroy my world while I do whatever the hell I want to. My secret would have obliterated my good side by now and Haou would be gone too. All that would be left of me was my power, dark and wild and lethal to anyone who gets in my way."

Alexis stirred beside him when his voice became harsher. His eyes were narrowed and he was glaring of in the distance as if he could see himself like that. "If I wanted to I would kill with just a soft touch or a glance. I would destroy buildings, homes, entire cities with just a dismissive wave of my hand. I would combine all of the worlds together and destroy them all or leave them in chaos."

"Why would you have that kind of power Jaden?" Alexis asked him quietly.

"Some think it's because of my inheritance, the Evermore throne, but I think it's something else," Jaden said thoughtfully. "You see, I'm what you'd call the Guardian. That's because I am the one who is supposed to guard and watch over the entrances to the other worlds. That's why I adapt when I visit other worlds, so I can live there safely for more than a few minutes. I'm supposed to protect the worlds from any danger that sneaks its way in. Basically I'm a gentle evil."

"My job is to kill those who linger too long in worlds that do not belong to them. But I didn't even know this until I was fourteen. I didn't want to do that kind of thing, I was afraid. Afraid to use my power and let it loose, because I knew what would happen if I did. It wouldn't matter to me who was passing between the worlds… woman and children, men or seniors, good or evil, friends or foes, they would all die at my hands until I eventually grew bored of this job and ventured into the worlds that I was supposed to be protecting and destroy them, just for fun."

"I ran from that duty, and I don't regret my decision in the least. For one, that would have led to a rather abrupt and painful end to all of existence. Another, the rebellion won't survive long without me. I've done everything I could these past years to help them, but we are suffering. N-the Overlord was already more than we could handle, and then the Queen of Everlost made her appearance. Now we are being slowly picked apart as double-agents enter our doors and destroy us from the inside. If I up and left them now, not only would I be dooming them in the future, I would be leaving them defenseless against the traitors and backstabbers that fear my presence in the rebellion. Without me there, they will act swiftly and violently without fear of being stopped or triggering my powers to be used against them. They fear death."

He was breathing really hard now, Alexis had a feeling this was more than he had ever told anyone.

"I'm a monster with a human soul," Jaden whispered, barely audible. "I'd kill them all. No one would survive. They'd all be dead if I lost control."

"It hasn't happened before Jaden. How do you know it will really be like that?" she asked. His eyes snapped on to her.

"It has happened before. Someone saved me before it got to far those times though," he hissed through clenched teeth.

Alexis's hazel eyes grew wider with astonishment. "Wha-?"

"When I was seven," Jaden continued, looking pained all of the sudden, "I lived in Nhime Village with my mother, aunt, uncle, and cousins. My mother and I had gone out to see the whirlpool that occurs on the coast. I was leaning on the railing and we were picking out different shapes in the water. I saw one that looked like a mermaid… and it turned out to actually be real. I leaned over the railing to get a better look… and it broke… I fell into the whirlpool as my mom screamed my name."

"Jaden," Alexis whispered, feeling the deadly force rise in him again as he spoke of his past.

"I thought I was going to drown. No matter what I did, I couldn't find the surface… just as I was about to pass out, my legs erupted in pain and I saw something in the water in front of me. I woke up in an unfamiliar place with nine merpeople in front of me," Jaden pushed on. "They told me their names as I looked down and discovered that I had somehow gotten a fin and gills."

"Everlost," Alexis assumed.

He nodded. "Their names were Maxine, Stephan, Serena, Patrick, Michael, Angela, Atrus, Liz, and Adria. They were all members of the resistance to the war, but I didn't know that then. This was my first time visiting another dimension, so I was astonished. They warned me of the war and the way that my power would be used to destroy the other world…"

****

_ "And now we are slowly destroying both of our worlds. The guards believe that you contain a dangerous power that can wipe out the Evermores and any other world that stands in our way. Most people here want that too. We are a very greedy race… well, most of us anyway. There are actually only 20 of us, not all of them being merpeople, who want peace instead of war. But using that kind of power for evil cannot have a good outcome. Now that I've met you myself, I can see that you are just a kind child. If there is any evil in you, it is asleep and I'll do whatever it takes to make sure it stays that way. I will protect you while you remain here, Guardian." _

****

"How would they know about your power though Jaden?" Alexis asked him pointedly.

He turned the full power of his gaze on her and said, "There is a prophecy apparently."

****

_ "Jaden, you have to be careful in our world, or in any other world for that matter." That was Patrick. "You are in danger here. The fact that you turned into one of us when you passed through the gate proves that. Whenever that happens to anyone else, they stay human and they always drowned. You're special in some way so you must not let the guards see you! They will try to manipulate you to do their bidding. You must stay strong!" _

_I blinked at the young man. "What will they do to me? Why?" _

_Maxine shook her head sadly. "Jaden, we're at war with Evermore. Our Queen still has not arrived as the prophecy foretold-." _

_"You shouldn't believe in stuff like that," I answered calmly. "Prophecies don't always come true and there's no such thing as destiny." _

_"Humor me," Maxine smiled. "Our Queen isn't here and everyone is tense. There are also tales about a mysterious child linked to our Queen. This child could travel freely between all of the worlds and adapt to the lifestyle of that world, like you getting gills and a tail." She added that after she saw I was lost. _

_"So, does that mean me?" I wondered out loud. They all nodded. _

"Did you ever hear that for yourself?" Alexis wondered absently.

"Yeah, when I was eleven," Jaden said dismissively. "But I'll get to that later. Right, so after all of that was explained to me, I stayed with them until the portal back to Earth would open up again in two weeks. We were attacked one day and I was captured along with the mer-parents."

He grimaced as if someone had just stabbed him.

"What's wrong?" Alexis asked, concerned.

He grunted and said, "This stupid secret doesn't like me telling anyone else about it. I actually have to _fight_ it to tell you."

Her eyes widened, but she did not ask any more questions.

"When I woke up…"

_I woke up in a small cage in a dark room. My tail was throbbing and my hands were bound. I wasn't scared at all though. I knew Atrus, Liz, and Adria were safe. But where was I? _

_"So you're awake, you little demon." This voice was very low and made the hairs on the back of my neck stand up. One of the guards came into view. He pocked his fingers through the bars and wiggled them, making fun of me. _

_So I did what any sensible mer-human-kid-thing would do, I bit him, hard. _

_He screamed, pulling his now bleeding finger out of my cage. I heard dark chuckles and saw another guard emerge from the shadows. "So you want to play, so you?" he asked me. But he didn't poke his fingers in my cage. I growled at him. _

_"That's quite a lot of zip you've got, Guardian Yuki," he continued, fingering a strange medallion on his chest. "But I have something that will cut you down to size." _

_He held up the medal to me and it glowed bright red-gold. I shielded my eyes as it grew and engulfed everything. There were screams everywhere around me, people dying, dragons dying, worlds being destroyed, merpeople trying to escape, duel monster spirits trying to flee, but were caught and banished. I cried out and clasped my hands over my ears, trying to stop the noise and the images. _Stop! Stop! STOP IT!

_It was all too much. Now there was fire burning in me, tearing apart my mind. _STOP IT! _I begged. _

_The guard was watching the little boy with a disgusted look on his face. _He's too kind. I need to find his hidden power and unleash it, which was the only mission the prophecy told me to do! But he's resisting so hard! _He thought angrily. _

_"This is what is happening to the worlds!" the shark thing hollered at me. "They are falling apart even as we float here and talk! Stop resisting! Throw away you're heart! Let your anger out! Let your pain cover everything else! Rise for God's sake! Rise!" _

_"NO! GET AWAY FROM ME!!" I hollered, barely hearing myself. "I WON'T THROW AWAY MY HEART! THAT'S WHY YOU'RE FIGHTING IN THE FIRST PLACE! LEAVE ME ALONE!" _

_The creature backed away as something clicked in my mind. It smirked before bowing low to me. That idiot. The images left me as quickly as they came and I caught my reflection against the reflective bars. My eyes were bright gold, but that didn't bother me at all. A smirk played across my face as I raised a hand towards the guards… _

"That's the last thing I remember," Jaden continued. "The next thing I knew, I was lying on the beach back on Earth with Liz, Atrus, and Adria. We met again a month later and they told me everything that happened that they know about…"

_ "Jaden," Serena Delane said in a calming tone. "…Are you sure you want to know what you did in Everlost?" _

_"Yes!" I replied decisively._

_"We heard the two guards that had captured you and injected you with the sleeping poison screaming like they were being killed," Michael said flatly, trying not to sound scared. "Then everything became incredibly quiet. It was… unnatural. There was a sound like breaking metal and the door that the guards had just carried you behind was blasted off its hinges by this dark aura…" _

_"And you swam into the hallway. Your eyes were cold, heartless, and demonic," Patrick said quite plainly. "They were also gold instead of your usual brown. You were looking at us weird, like you really didn't know who we were. You raised your hands and the walls of the entire dungeon started to crumble." _

_Pat's gray eyes shimmered, showing the terror beneath his mask. _

_"You swam out, and we were stunned enough that we didn't notice we were free right away. By the time we swam out of there, our children had come back and were hovering behind a round of the guards. You smirked… it seemed so dark and sinister… so out of the ordinary for you… and you raised your right hand with finality. The guards all dropped dead. There was no life left in their uncaring eyes. Then… you just vanished." _

_"When you returned, you seemed to be out of control completely. Your actions weren't swift or precise like before. Your eyes just shone brightly and your tail seemed to glow and the castle was engulfed in your dark aura, destroying it completely," Angela continued for her husband. _

_I had grown quiet. I was lost in thought. _

_"We had been waiting for you; it was so chaotic with your break-out that the remaining guards didn't even care about the escaped rebels. So now our numbers were nearly doubled and the kingdom was in chaos. Then of course, we all rushed you, expecting some kind of resistance. But you just froze at the sight of us and collapsed. We rushed you out of there and back through the portal to your world. You seemed so small and fragile…" _

Alexis pulled Jaden closer to her when he started trembling. His eyes had a misty look to them that only came to someone who was lost deep in thought.

"I still to this day don't know where I went," Jaden whispered suddenly. "And I'm not sure I want to know."

His gentle wings wrapped around Alexis keeping her warm. She smiled and snuggled closer to him, twisting their hands together. She would always be there for him; she would make sure of it.

A small smile came onto her beloved's lips before being replaced by an uncharacteristic frown.

"Apparently we weren't alone on that night. My two cousins had snuck out and followed me. That's how this all started."

_ "I know what you aren't," Nick said. "Human. You're something more…" _

_I shook my head fiercely, insisting that I was a human, and that Nick was insane. _

_A chilling laugh escaped Nick's lips. "I hear different from the Everlosts." _

_I went extremely pale. "How…?" _

_Melody tried to intervene to stop Nick. "We followed you out Jaden. I was really worried about you; you weren't acting like your normal self." _

_"Because his normal self is a demon… a demon with the power to destroy worlds… you are not human, my cousin. You are a tool in the grand scheme of things. In this war, you are being used to destroy the superior race," Nick smiled. _

_I looked away, hurt in my brown eyes. Melody glared at Nick. _

_"Stop it," she demanded, upset that I was upset. _

_"It's the truth," Nick simply said. "And this is too. Your type of power is supposed to be used Jaden. Something like that can build up inside of you until it screams for release and escapes you by force. Why not follow me and use up that power now? I could help you. Together, we could end the war, Jaden." _

_I saw right through Nick. "Don't flatter yourself," I coolly answered. "You know this truth, if I go with you, a world will end. Lives will be lost. Blood will be spilt. You will seize power and try to control me. You can't control me Nick. If you try, I swear to God that you will end up dead." _

_Nick was impressed with my little speech. Melody was concerned. _

_Smirking, Nick allowed his power to break free. "Then I'll take you by force." _

A small gasp escaped Alexis's lips. "He's in on this too? He's like you?"

Jaden shook his head. "Yes and no. Nick's opposite of me. He doesn't have as much power as I do, which is why he targets me."

_Nick was inches away from my face, his eyes that violent shade of purple … I was standing in the middle of Melody's backyard, only seven years old, Nick was eight, Melody was five. Sparks were emitting from Nick's body, he had given into the power long ago. The sky turned dark as storm clouds appeared out of nowhere. Lightning flashed, raining fire from the churning sky. _

_I was half-conscious of Melody's screams, but it didn't matter to anymore. Nick was going to die. He had to. If I didn't… _

_"Why are you holding back Jay?" he taunted his voice low and deadly. He was trying to get me angry, trying to make me lose control completely. He was and idiot. "Are you afraid of what you are?" _

_I was. Mainly for the sake of others. If I lost control here, now, it would all be over. If I couldn't stop Nick… "Listen to me," my voice surprised me. It was so cold and harsh, so much worse than Nick's even though I was younger and in partial control. Melody's screeches came to a halt when I spoke. _

_"Let it go Nick," I warned him. "Fight it off before I have to kill you." Once again, I surprised myself. I hadn't realized just how deep my hatred went. _

_"You?! Kill me?!" Nick howled, his maniacal laughter carrying in the violent winds. "Just try." He raised his hands and an invisible force knocked me over. That was it. I lost control. _

_"Jaden, NO!" Melody screamed, running at me. I was charged with energy, so much _power_ that I craved for more… Then I felt as if I was falling… _

_Then next thing I knew I was standing near a crater in the yard, the sky turned to normal as I felt something on my arm. It was Melody. _

_I tried to talk to her, but everything was spinning. My head felt as if I had been hit by a truck as I watched her clinging onto my arm. I remembered collapsing… Nick was on his side staring at me in horror… _

"I convinced Melody to tell me what happened after I… err… recovered," Jaden continued unsurely.

_A smirk played on my face. My head tilted to the side slightly as if examining something, and then I laughed cruelly. "This isn't even a challenge, this is just child's play," I informed my cousin as something started squeezing the life out of him. _

_He choked out, caught unaware by this strange grip. Then he regained his senses and banished the force away as if it were just a troublesome gnat. _

_"Child's play eh?" he said. "Try this for size." _

_He let loose a torrent of his energy that was nearly half the size of his home. I did not move. I frowned and shook his head as if _he_ was the younger cousin and I was lecturing him. _

_Lightning crashed straight into Nick's attack, causing a huge explosion that sounded like thunder. He braced himself for the aftershock. I didn't even lift a finger. The air passed around me like I wasn't even there. _

_"There is more to this than just brute force fool," I coldly said. It took Nick a second to realize that I actually _**was**_ lecturing him. "You have to manipulate what is going on around you, see everything, hear everything, react on instinct and have the will power to maintain that action until it is completed." _

_He stared at me. _

_"And something else too," I added. "You're about to die." _

_Nick fell to the ground, twisting in agony with his hands pressed against him temples. _

_Melody grabbed my arm and called my name. I turned towards her slowly and was about the do the same thing to her, but her familiar eyes caught my attention. _

_I moaned quietly and closed my eyes. Everything went back to normal as if nothing had ever occurred. _

"Mels told me that my eyes sort of flashed brown when I looked at her as if I recognized her," Jaden murmured. "Which is a good thing, because there's no way that I'd hurt her, which let me fight back before it was too late. If she hadn't had been right there, right then, not any other time, my hatred and anger would have sped up my power and…"

His voice trailed off, leaving the unknown open.

"And lastly," Jaden said suddenly, "it happened in Nhime Village, just after I… left you."

"Mystic said that it was 'a presence very much like Haou' that overtook you that day," Alexis added.

A small smirk came onto Jaden's face. "I guess Mystic isn't so bad after all if she lied for me."

Alexis cocked her head to the side quizzically. "What do you mean?"

"Well, she wasn't exactly lying," Jaden said purposefully. "Haou is a part of that secret, he's my other half that was supposed to show when I took the throne. But as we both know, that didn't happen. After my run-in with that medallion, my connection with Haou, although I had no idea he existed at the time, was stretched and became less stable, which made my power break free without restriction. So now neither of us has control over it. Haou can last for a little while since he was the original personality that came from my power."

Alexis nodded, keeping up so far. Jaden paused, obviously trying to figure out what to say next.

"Why don't you start from the beginning… your beginning," Alexis suggested after several silent minutes. Her hero nodded slowly, a slight dazed look entering his deep brown eyes.

"I guess this all does start when I was born… or rather how I was born I guess," Jaden mussed. "When I was born… my power was so absolute because it was my first glimpse of my home world. It was so strong that my soul split into two before I could take that first breath of life. One half, which you know as Haou, became dormant along with my power; both locked up until they day that I took the throne of the other world. But… that didn't happen. When I was one year old, my father was summoned to take the throne of Evermore. He was struck by black lightning, which I had gathered from the merpeople was created by dragons and meant instant death. What they didn't know though, was this was also a way of transportation for the Overlord of Evermore."

He started stroking her hair like he used to. Alexis smiled despite the worry that gripped her body for Jaden. She was seeing him a new light. He was the lion, the agile hunter and protector of the pack, lethal to anyone who endangered him or his pack members while she was his cub; small, ignorant, and vulnerable to the rest of the world.

"So my mother and I lived without him, believing him to be dead. In a way he was. Charles Yuki was gone and replaced with Overlord Yuki," the young king continued darkly. A lone tear fell from his misty eyes and landed on Alexis's pale hand. She tightened her supportive grip on his hand and the boy started again. "I received Yubel from my father… it was a card that he had bought me before he died. Apparently, he had a strong belief that I was going to be a duelist. I treasured that card as my father's memento, so it's only natural that it all went wrong. From the second I could hold up a card, I was a duelist. I loved doing it, and the game held some secrets about myself. I could see and hear most of my cards whenever I dueled. Yubel was always with me, even outside of a duel. She was my first and most cherished duel spirit. She grew too protective of me though. One day, she hurt one of my friends when I played her in my deck. At first I thought it was just a coincidence, but then it kept happening over and over again, eventually my neighbor was hospitalized because of it."

Alexis already knew this story, but it was interesting to hear it from Jaden's point of view.

"I couldn't believe that it was Yubel hurting all of those people…"

_Flashback _

_"Yubel!" I demanded fiercely, holding her card up. My monster appeared immediately. _

_"What is it Jaden dear?" she cooed. We were standing in my room. My mother was away at work and my cousins were at their house for once. _

_I was trembling slightly. "Why are you hurting my friends Yubel?!" I screamed at her. She took an unconscious step back, shock on her face. _

_"Jaden, they are not your friends. They hurt you, so I have to punish them so that they learn," Yubel explained slowly. _

_"No one's hurt me Yubel! It's called teasing!" I chirped angrily. "Or even trash-talking! That's what duelists do! What did Osamu do to hurt me? He didn't say anything mean! And you put him in the hospital!" _

_My hands were balled into fists at my sides and Yubel was looking at me pensively. _

_"Be careful precious one, don't strain yourself," she warned me, concern in her eyes. She was always saying that to me, but now I didn't care. _

_"Don't make me then!" I screamed at her. "Stop hurting my friends Yubel!" _

_My father's last gift looked down at me sadly. Tears were falling down my cheeks in my anger as I realized one of my best friends was hurting people. She knelt down so that she was at my eye level. Tears were falling down her cheeks too. I knew that Yubel hated it when I cried, which didn't happen a lot. My friend wrapped her arms around me, cooing softly. _

_I pried myself from her arms and looked into her dual colored eyes. "Don't hurt them anymore Yubel. This is your last chance." _

_She nodded solemnly at me. I silently prayed that my duel spirit's fear of losing me would keep her from hurting others… and from making me leave her. Yubel was an important friend to me and I would give her every chance I could. _

_A few months passed and no incidents happened again. People were still very wary to approach me in a duel because of Yubel's 'punishments', but they were more willing to get to know me know that she had stopped. They seemed to accept that it had just been coincidence that my neighbor collapsed while dueling me, he was getting better now after all. Yubel didn't hurt him anymore when I came to visit and Osamu was being his usual cheery self. _

_Now I was in first grade and playing outside with a few of my friends at recess. _

_"How's Osamu doing, Jay?" Danny asked curiously. "I went to visit him, but he was asleep and the nurse told me not to wake him up." _

_I smiled at him pleasantly. "He's doing loads better! He was talking to me until dinner yesterday!" _

_He nodded happily. I could tell he was still curious about how Osamu collapsed. _

_"That's it you little wimp, hand over your lunch money!" My ears caught the class bully's voice. He was picking on a little boy with his gang of cronies. The boy was crying and kept repeating that he didn't have any with him. My fist curled up at my sides. I hated bullies to no end. Ralph sensed my anger and quickly glanced to where I was glaring. _

_"Damian," he breathed. "Where's a teacher when you need one?" _

_Danny glanced over at the bully too. I slowly rose to my feet. _

_"Jaden!" he called, alarmed. "You can't go over there! Damian will hurt you instead!" _

_Yubel appeared by my side, invisible to my friends. "Not if I can help it," she said in my ear. _

_I gave her a warning glance and she nodded, understanding to stay out of this. _

_I glanced back at my friends. "I can't just let him hurt that kid, it's not right." _

_With that I walked over to the bully as he raised his hands to the kid. He was about to strike him, but I grabbed his arm. He blinked his cold eyes at me in surprise. _

_"Leave him alone, Damian," I said flatly. His cronies tittered. _

_"Well if it isn't little Jaden Yuki," Damian scoffed, recovering from his shock. "Heard your neighbor's getting better. What, were you guilty that you hurt him so now you're trying to cover it up?" _

_My blood was boiling below the surface, but I kept my face calm. "I didn't hurt Osamu Damian." My brown eyes fell on the terrified kid I had just saved. I made gestures with my eyes towards my friends. He got the message and took off like lightning. Ralph and Danny hid the kid from view and looked at me in a worried way. _

_Damian had yet to notice his prey was missing. His was laughing malevolently at me. "So why don't we test that theory then little worm? How about a duel?" _

_"You're on!" I shouted back. _

_Damian seemed unsure all of the sudden. _

_"Whatssamtter Damian? Chicken?" I taunted, hoping to keep his attention away from his missing victim. _

_That got his attention real fast. "You wish," he replied. He took two duel disks from his cronies and shoved one in my hands. The crowd backed away from us really quickly. We shuffled each other's decks before walking away and taking our places in the grass. _

_"Duel!" we both shouted. _

_"Losers first," Damian said, pointing at me. _

_"Whatever," I replied and drew my card. Yubel was looking up at me curiously from her card. I smiled at her. _

Let's end this before any teachers come out, _I suggested to her. She nodded to me. _But don't hurt him okay? That would ruin what I was trying to stop.

_She nodded enthusiastically, ready to help me out. I glanced at the bully in front of me. He was big, had small cold onyx eyes and an army cut that didn't look quite right on a second grader. He was wearing cargo pants and a camouflage T-shirt. _

_"I summon Elemental Hero Burstinatrix in attack mode!" I shouted triumphantly. My hero clad in red appeared on my side of the field in a burst of fire. She folded her hands across her chest angrily while staring at Damian. Damian may not be very bright, but even he could tell this was unusual behavior for a hologram. (Atk: 12000 Def: 800) _

_"That idiot was picking on a poor defenseless child; let's beat him Jaden, use Avian to summon Yubel! That'll give him a shock, defeated by his own brute strength!" Burstinatrix flared. Damian, of course, couldn't hear her like I could, but he saw her mouth moving and looked confused. _

_"And now I activate the magic card, Hero's Bond!" I said, showing him the card defiantly. It showed the hands of Avian, Clayman, Sparkman, and Bubbleman stacked on one another. "This card lets me summon another elemental hero to my field when there's already one out, as long as it's four stars or less. And I think my Avian fits the bill! Come out Avian!" _

_My winged hero burst from my hand in a shower of feathers. He took his place next to Burstinatrix and glared at Damian too. I repressed a laugh with difficulty, Damian looked like he was going to wet his pants. (Atk: 1000 Def: 1000) _

_"Is that all you can do? You only summoned two weak monsters you little moron. I can take those down easy," Damian taunted. _

_"They're not weak!" I yelled angrily. It really got on my nerves when people made fun of my monsters. "These two are keys for taking you down Damian!" _

_He scoffed at me. "I doubt it." _

_"Oh yeah? Well here's why! Now I'll sacrifice both of my E-hero's in order to summon," I said dramatically, "Yubel in attack mode!" _

_Burstinatrix and Avian gave me a thumbs up, startling Damian again, before leaping up into the air and disappearing in a burst of light. When the light died, Yubel was floating above us with a smirk on her blue lips. _

_I smiled at her and she smiled back before giving Damian the evil eye. The poor kid looked about ready to faint from confusion. I guess he wasn't used to monsters glaring at him. _

_"I've got to discard one card from my hand to keep Yubel though."-I slid E-Hero Necroshade into my graveyard with a smirk-"And I'll throw down a face-down. That's all for now," I said, still repressing a laugh. _

_"About time!" one of his cronies drawled. Damian snapped out of his trance and drew his card. _

_He examined the field with a not too intelligent look on his face. "Hey!" he exclaimed suddenly. "That freak of a card doesn't have any attack points! And you don't have any cards left in your hand." _

_"Yubel's not a freak," I snapped. "She's one of my best cards!" _

_"She's a weakling! And I'll prove it with this card!" Damian said, holding up a card that showed what looked like a turtle shell. "I summon Don Turtle in attack mode!" The turtle shell appeared on the field and weird tentacle like things came out of its shell. I could see its glowing eyes from where I was standing. Several outcries of "Gross!" and "Eww!" were heard from the audience. Damian looked rather pleased with himself. "And whenever he's successfully summoned, I can summon as many other Don Turtles from my hand as I want! And it just so happens I have my other three right here!" _

_"NO WAY!" Ralph outburst from the sidelines. "ALL OF THEM IN YOUR HAND AT ONCE?!" _

_The other three turtle things appeared on the field. (Atk: 1100 Def: 1200) _

_I smirked at him. He didn't even pause to consider what would happen if he attacked Yubel. _

_"Now I'll attack you with Don Turtle to get rid of that freak and then my others will take care of the rest of your life points!" Damian exclaimed. _

_"Not so fast Damian," I smiled, revealing my face-down. "I activate the trap card Staunch Defender! Now I can select one monster on my side of the field and all of your monsters have to attack her! So I pick Yubel!" _

_There was collective confusion in the crowd. "That'll just make you lose quicker, whatever idiot," Damian snarled. I gave him my most innocent look as his turtle charged for Yubel at once. (Combined Atk: 4400) _

_"Did I forget to mention Yubel had a special affect?" I asked sweetly. Damian, who couldn't put two and two together to save his life, shook his head. _

_"Nope," he said. "Won't matter anyway." _

_I smiled at him again. "Oops, Yubel can't be destroyed in battle, and all battle damage I get is reduced to zero while you take the hit. So that's 4400 life points!" _

_Damian paled. "Wha-NO! Wait!" _

_Too late! _

_Damian's monsters tackled into my favorite monster. Yubel smirked at them as a barrier of orange light appeared and blasted the turtles back at Damian. They smacked into their master and Damian fell to his feet. _

_Jay: 4000 _

_Damian: 0 _

_"That's game!" I said, making my victory sign before I was swept up in a crowd of admirers. I blushed a bit and made my way over to the kid Damian had been bullying. _

_"Are you ok?" I asked him. The scrawny boy nodded his red hair flying in all directions. _

_"Thanks Jaden! I knew you were a good guy!" the kid squeaked. _

_I smiled warmly at the younger kid and waved to my fans. _Thanks Yubel, thanks Burst, thanks Avian, _I silently told my heroes. _

_I could almost see them smile from within my mind. _

_"JADEN YUKI! DAMIAN TRAVERS! MY OFFICE NOW!" the principal yelled over the students. _

_"Great," I sighed. Suddenly all of the students swarmed to my defense. _

_"Jaden didn't do anything wrong!" a girl with pink hair shouted. _

_"Yeah, it was all Damian!" a boy with long black hair claimed. _

_"He was picking on Nathan!" someone who I couldn't see shouted. _

_"Jaden's the hero!" someone else chirped. I saw that he was a fifth grader. _

_Several other upperclassmen joined in to the din as Damian walked dejectedly to Principal Crothers. The man held his hands over his ears and screamed, "BE QUIET!" _

_Everyone fell silent. Several of the kids moved in front of me as if protecting me. Despite the fact that I was most likely going to get in trouble for dueling at school, I was happy. They didn't think that I was a freak or that I would hurt anyone anymore. They were finally accepting me. _

_"Fine then, since all of you seemed to witness the same exact thing," Principal Crothers stated, "you're off the hook for now Mr. Yuki. As for you, young man!" Crothers said as he pulled Damian in by the ear. "What's this I hear about you bullying Nathan Robetis?" _

_The students cheered, some impressed by my duel and the first and second graders thankful that I had put Damian in his place. They swarmed around me like flies and I was practically glowing I was so happy. _

_If only I had checked on Yubel then, things may have gone differently. She wore a look of pure jealousy on her face and was glaring at the kids angrily. _

_I was hanging out with Danny and Nathan before class one day, showing them my cards while Danny showed me his. We were trying to teach Nathan how to duel, but it wasn't going so well. Nathan picked up Yubel and read her effects with an astonished look. _

_"She's practically unbeatable! No wonder you beat Damian like that? Where'd you get her?" he burst out. _

_I looked away suddenly. "My dad bought her for me before he died," I whispered to my friends. _

_They looked stunned. "Sorry," Nathan whispered. "I didn't know." _

_I gave him my usual energetic smile. "No biggy! Come on; let's try to teach you again!" _

"JADEN!" _Yubel suddenly screeched. I flew up as her card glowed eerily. _

_"Dude?" Ralph asked. _

_Nathan's mouth was hanging open at the sight and he didn't notice what was happening behind him. "WATCH OUT!" she shouted, bursting out of her card. _

_"You'll pay for this Yuki," Damian's voice said from behind me. Something hard hit the back of my head and my world went black. _

_"Jaden?" someone asked. _

_My head hurt really badly. I let out a small moan and raised my hand to my head. I whimpered when my hand made contact as a jolt of pain rocked through me. _

_"He's waking up!" called the voice again. I heard someone scuffle around the room. _

_I decided it was time to open my eyes and at once noticed how white it was. I sat up quickly and glanced around, alarmed. _

_I noticed my neighbor, Osamu, on the bed next to me. "Huh?" I said, trying to make sense of where I was. "Osamu? What's going on?" _

_He smiled at me and sat up on his bed. "You're in the hospital Jaden. You took quite a blow to the head there." I gingerly felt my head again and discovered the bandages. _

_"What happened? The last thing I remember is hearing… DAMIAN!" I shouted that last part, causing pain to erupt in my skull. "Oww!" I whined. _

_"Calm down Jaden," said someone who I took to be a nurse. _

_"Are Nathan and Danny ok? Did Damian hurt them too?" I burst, needing to know. _

_Osamu looked sad all of the sudden. "Nathan and Danny are in critical condition. They collapsed for no apparent reason; there are no signs of abuse anywhere." _

_I paled. That's what Yubel did to Osamu. "What about Damian?" _

_Osamu looked me straight in the eye. "He's in a permanent coma Jaden." _

_I blinked. That was a word that was not in my vocabulary. "He's what?" _

_My older friend sighed heavily, whipping the teal hair from his face. "It means that he's… asleep. And that he's not going to wake up… ever." _

_Yubel killed him? "He's dead?" my voice came out just above a whisper. I was horrified at what my duel spirit had done. I would have understood if she just had made him pass out, she would be protecting me and my friends then, but she put him in a coma _and_ hurt two of my friends?! _

_"No, but he's not exactly alive either. Death would be easier for him I think," Osamu gravely said, not entirely sure why he was telling a six-year-old that someone was dying, but knew it had to be done. _

_I didn't respond. I was still trying to absorb it all. Damian was worse than dead. Yubel had hurt him. Something had to be done. _

_(One month later) _

_My skull had healed up rather quickly, much to my doctor's surprise, and I was out of the hospital in no time. My friends were still recovering, and they kept muttering nonsense about 'That card did this' and 'She glowed, Jay'. They were encouraging me to get rid of Yubel, and I wanted to listen, but just the thought of throwing her out disgusted me. There had to be a better way! _

_I got that opportunity when Kaiba sent out the message that he was sending some cards into space to absorb some energy. Ralph and I told Danny and Nathan about it and they immediately wanted to enter too. I drew my Neospacions over at Ralph's house. He was in the bathroom when I finished. I showed him my drawings when he came out and his jaw dropped. "Those are sweet man!" he said. _

_I laughed and then stopped abruptly, a train of thought forming in my head. "I've gotta go Ralph, see you Monday," I said vacantly as my feet carried me home. I could feel Ralph's eyes on my back as I walked out of his home and could tell he was worried. Probably because people had come to the general conclusion that I was somehow behind Damian's coma and weren't above attacking me for now apparent reason. That didn't matter now though. _

_I should send Yubel into space… _

_She can absorb some of the good energy so she won't be so bad anymore… _

_I talked to my mom about it that night, simply asking her if we could send in Yubel. She was surprised, but allowed it. _

_"Jaden?" Yubel said as I took out her card. _

_"I told you not to hurt anyone Yubel," I said through clenched teeth. I picked up her card and got out the envelope my mother had addressed for me. _

_"What are you doing Jaden?" she said, sounding worried. _

_"I'm going to send you into space Yubel. So you can absorb some positive energy," I explained with a shaking hand. "Maybe then you'll be a better monster." _

_"What?! Jaden, no! Please no!" Yubel cried out. I started to put her card in the envelope. "That boy deserved it! He hurt you!" _

_"I'm sorry Yubel," I whimpered. "Come and find me when you get back. I know you can do that." _

_"Jaden, _please_ don't do this! I love-!" _

_I placed her card firmly in the envelope and dropped her in the mailbox. _

I'll miss you Yubel, please become a better person.

_I ran all the way back home without a backwards glance, knowing that I would go back for my friend if I did. _

In the present, Alexis gripped my arm with sympathy. Jaden knew that she didn't know what to make of his story, but that it would affect much later. This year actually.

"And then I met the Everlosts and discovered that I wasn't normal, that I was dangerous like they had been saying all along. I murdered people Alexis," Jaden whispered in a hoarse voice. "I killed them without any regret."

His angel's eyes traveled to Jaden's sorrowful face. She wished she hadn't a second later. Jaden's usual bright and cheery eyes were so full of sorrow and betrayal. It hurt her to see him so upset. "Jaden," she cooed quietly. "It's not your fault that those guards died. It's there fault for trying to control you, for hurting you. You weren't yourself Jaden. You have to stop blaming yourself for things that are out of your control."

"I don't think you understand Alexis," Jaden said slowly. "_Nothing_ is out of my control."

She blinked a couple of times at him.

"Remember the Society of Light? How I could control my own destiny no matter what happened?" Jaden pensively wondered. "_Nothing _is out of my control Alexis. Not even destiny. I can change what's going to happen if I could control my power, like I did to bring you all back."

"Are you finally going to tell me how you brought us back to DA?" Alexis curiously wondered.

His eyes glazed over a bit. "In a while, I've still got a few things to explain."

* * *

**REMEMBER, THIS WAS ONLY THE FIRST PART!**


	20. Say WHAT? Part 2

**DISCLAIMER: I DON'T OWN YUGIOH GX!**

Hehe... this is part 2 of Jaden's story, and it's still not the whole thing...

This chapter sheds some light on what happened with Yubel and Jaden, making him who he is now.

It also puts some emphasis on how bad the war truely is and the importance of Serena's pendant.

And, of course, shows that Nick is even more of a heartless bastard that deserves to burn in hell for-- you'll have to read to find out!

* * *

**Chapter 18 part 2**

Alexis nodded.

"After I sent Yubel away I started having these vivid dreams…"

_Flashback: _

_"It's too hot… it hurts… I feel bad… why do I get so much pain if I love him so much?!"Yubel screamed. She was surrounded by burning red flames. I stood there in shock, unable to do anything to help her. "Jaaadddeeen!" _

_I woke up with a start, breathing hard. I glanced around like a frightened animal. I was still in my room. "Yubel," I whispered, starting to shake. _

_End Flashback _

"These dreams didn't stop," Jaden continued in a flat tone. "And it got to the point that I couldn't sleep and just the thought of eating made me feel sick. I kept running dangerous temperatures inconsistently and nothing my mom did seemed to help … and trust me, she tried _everything_."

Alexis noticed the slightly bitter tone that he was using. "What happened Jaden?"

_Flashback: _

_My mom was dragging me through a completely white hallway, literally. I was fighting against her as hard as I could, even hitting her and biting. _

_"Let me go! I don't want this Mom!" I hollered, flailing away from her. _

_She gritted her teeth and scooped me up into her arms tightly, trapping my arms at my sides. I kicked my legs back at her sharply, not even caring that I was hurting her. I was beyond hurt that she would even _consider_ what she was going to do to me! _

_"It's better this way Jaden," she said in a strict voice. "You won't remember any of this anyway, so your nightmares will stop." _

_"NO!" I yelled at the top of my lungs. I desperately wish we were outside this building so my screams would draw some attention. Here, all of the people in white coats simple glanced at me and then looked away. "HELP!" _

_I could tell she was frowning. "Jaden Charles Yuki, stop this nonsense right now." _

_"YOU stop!" I cried. "Don't do this! Please! I don't want to forget Yubel, she was Dad's!" _

_I played my last hope, guilt. I didn't want to forget about Yubel, she was my best friend! And I didn't care about the nightmares! It let me know that she was still alive! In pain, but I'd find a way to help her! If I didn't, then no one would! _

_"Your father would have wanted this Jaden, it's for your own good," she replied firmly. _

_"How would you know what Dad would think?! He's dead Mom! Dead! How would you feel if your mother was forcing _**you**_ to forget about _**him**_?! Huh?!?!" I screamed at her coldly. _

_She ignored me and walked into a white room. There was a strange machine that looked like a CAT scan and two scientists. I renewed my struggles with passion, screaming at the top of my lungs and hoping that someone would save me. _

_"We can't do the operation with him like this Ma'am," one of the white-coats said. _

_I struggled harder against my mother's grip. I sank my teeth deep into her arm, drawing blood. She screamed and dropped my, and I dashed for the door. A stronger grip ensnarled my shoulder and I was forced to stop. _

_I briefly saw the glint of a needle before pain shot from my arm. I screamed again as the sedative rushed into my system, but I still fought for consciousness. "Yubel!" I screamed with my last bit of energy. _

_I fell to the floor, still conscious, but unable to move. The scientists picked my up gently and placed me in the machine. They put a weird thing over my head that reminded me of a virtual reality game and my mother said in a small voice, "There is no Yubel Jaden." _

_End Flashback _

Alexis was stunned. "What kind of a parent is she?!"

"She was trying to help me," Jaden whispered. "Don't be too hard on her, she just wanted me to go back to normal… and it worked. After that, I woke up in my bedroom without the slightest memory of Yubel. The scientists made it dormant inside me… and I'm starting to think that's what caused the major rift between Haou and I. We were both there at the time… err, combined I mean; just without the powers because they wouldn't show until I was needed at the Evermore throne. I think that they somehow messed up and sealed half of me away… my dark side… and since I kept dueling after that, it only made the rift wider… making my power grow stronger… and making Haou develop with my other dormant thing, making Haou the personality of my increasing powers."

"Are you wealthy Jaden?" Alexis asked out of the blue.

Apparently, that had not been what he had been expecting. "Yeah," he nodded. "Why?"

"I just didn't think you were like that, I mean, usually rich people are snobs," she shrugged. "Off topic, I know, but at least I get to learn more about you."

Jaden smiled softly. "But forgetting Yubel didn't exactly solve all of my problems," he smirked. "I wonder what she would have done if she found out that I had been hanging out with a bunch of mythological creatures."

"You surprise me Jaden, most people would harbor a grudge against their mothers for doing that," Alexis pointed out. She paused for a second and then added, "And I'm glad that you don't."

Jaden didn't know how to respond to this, so he just continued on. "You know, we lived in a mansion after she ran away from Nhime Village with me… years of life insurance can build up I guess… and I never liked it. It felt so… empty. But it was big enough that I could use this to escape here."

Jaden slowly pulled up his sleeves and displayed his wrist to Alexis. Wrapped tightly around his pale skin was a small tear-drop shaped pendant. Her eyes were drawn towards the small gem and she gently touched its smooth surface. Her hand jerked away as suddenly as she had reached to touch it. Jaden was watching her with a slightly cocky expression.

"It's cold," she said. "Icy."

He frowned before unwrapping it from the leather string and dangling it front of her. The little stone glowed a soft blue before returning to normal. "It was a gift from Serena…"

Alexis stared at the thing, captivated.

"It's never been cold since…" Jaden trailed off. His expression was strange.

"What does that mean then?" Alexis ventured lightly. Jaden shook his head.

"Something's changed… something bad for the rebellion… really bad," Jaden mused, his eyes glazing over.

Alexis couldn't take it anymore. "What is it?!" she burst out.

"It's a magical gem, Gracelia Gem Stone is its formal name," Jaden replied. "It means 'wandering path'. This little gem leads the rightful owner to any rebel-friendly portals and turns icy when something terrible has happened…"

He suddenly had a slightly green sheen to his face.

"Jaden? Are you okay?" Alexis said with concern in her eyes again. "We can stop for now if you want, take a break."

Jaden didn't respond right away. He took some very deep breaths from his nose before his skin regained its normal creamy qualities. "'Snot that Lex," Jaden mumbled, holding his head while heavy grief consumed him. _All of those people… _

Her brain sent out a few happy endorphins about the use of her pet name before it processed the abrupt change in her love. The placid features that usually shone on his face were completely gone and replaced with anguish.

_The smell of rotting flesh… _

Alexis was almost afraid to ask what was troubling him. But she composed herself and revived a bit of that iron-willed part of her, the 'Queen of Obelisk' and said in a soothing voice, "What is it then, Jay? What is causing you to break apart like this?"

_No one spared… babies laying impaled in the gutters… children with blood still running down from their slit throats… _

"Something that no one should ever have to see," he sighed bitterly. "Something that I've been trying to forget for seven years."

"I'm right here Jaden. There's nothing you can tell me that will make me leave you," Alexis promised in a soft voice.

Jaden took another deep, shaky breath before turning away from her penetrating gaze. Alexis did not press him; she sensed that he would tell her. She just had to give him some time.

Sure enough, Jaden slowly and caringly shifted so that Alexis was snuggled very close to his chest for support. Her pale hand started to absently trace the small scar right over his heart that peeked out from his shirt. His skin was pleasantly warm and smooth, and she could no longer sense his power below the surface. He was safe for now.

Jaden opened his eyes and gently caressed her cheek. "Thank you for that Alexis; you don't know how much that means to me."

She smiled up at her brunette tenderly. "I love you Jaden Yuki, and I trust you with my life. Everything I've said is true. I won't lose you."

He said this next sentence so softly that she almost didn't hear it. "I love you too, Alexis Rhodes. And I won't make the same mistake of pushing you away again."

The shattered pieces of her heart came back to life. Her loved one wove each of the jagged and cold pieces back together until the damage was fixed. But there was always going to be that scar of losing him, but there would never be any doubt.

Those beautiful chocolate brown eyes met her own and he finished with a simple, "I trust you."

Those three words made all the difference in the world to Alexis. Jaden was finally going to open up to her and tell her everything. He wouldn't keep himself locked away to wish away his wounds and kill his already aching heart. No, now he had a shoulder to cry on, just as she did. They would support each other until the bitter end. **(AN: If only she knew how bitter it would be… Oops, spoiler! .;;) **

Jaden told her in an undertone about his mother's decision to flee from Nhime and his first trip into the Evermore world. He mentioned a few duels he was forced into to prevent the rebellion's base from being discovered by spies, but didn't go into detail. He spoke of his best friend, Christopher Lessinhop, and Chris's twin sister, Lillian. Alexis registered the name with a small smile and a twinge of jealousy. Lillian and Chris were Jaden's age and their parents were in the human world trying to capture rouge Evermore creatures (like the winged lions in Venice, Italy) that were potentially dangerous to the human population. The three children were very powerful and constantly targeted by this 'N-Overlord'.

"Despite that, I was happy with the Evermores and Everlosts," Jaden finished in a murmur. "But everything changed the day that this pendent went cold."

_Flashback: _

_My pendant was tied around my wrist tightly so I wouldn't lose it in a fight. Not that I expected anything to happen now, seeing as Chris, Allian, Darkal, and I were all flying down to Hinget Town just below Sunset Lake. This was one of the very few villages that stayed out of the Overlord's grasp simply because of its size. It was too tiny to pose a threat to the kingdom, so the Overlord ignored it, leaving the rebels with a great spot for news and rest. We flew close to the ground to avoid detection and Chris and I occasionally did lazy flips over Darkal just to annoy him. _

_"Hey Allian," I started slowly, curious about something. _

_"Hmm?" she asked, slowing down and brushing her wings against mine in a motherly fashion. In a way she and Darkal were like my mother and father figures away from home. They watched over me and protected me from any danger that came my way. They taught me things about both of our worlds and they made me laugh. Chris was like a crazy brother we were so close… but Lilly wasn't like a sister to me. She still confuses the heck out of me. She's my friend, but more, but not a sister… so what was she? _

_I gave up on my thoughts momentarily and persisted with my question. "My pendent went icy cold last night, what does that mean?" _

_Allian's wings missed a beat and she crashed into me. We both were sent stumbling to the lush earth and didn't stop rolling until we were a mass of bruises. "Ow," I complained. _

_Allian rose up and strode over to me quickly. "Is it still icy?" she demanded in her rebel-leader-tone. _

_"The closer we get to Hinget, the colder it gets. Does that mean that traveling to different worlds there is dangerous for rebels?" I asked innocently. _

_She growled angrily and rubbed the tips of her pointed ears like she always did when she grew agitated. "Not good-when that pendent goes cold, Jaden that means that a tragedy for the Rebellion has just occurred. And since its reacting to Hinget, we have to be on guard. Got it?" _

_I managed a nod weakly. Something didn't feel right all of the sudden. I glanced towards the town in the distance warily. It was peaceful, quiet, and didn't look as if soldiers were going to burst out at any second. So I spread my wings and strayed towards the front with Chris, whose brow was furrowed. He could feel it too. _

_Then I realized what was wrong. I couldn't hear the phoenixes singing. There were no playful hisses of laughter from the young Gorgons, the Griffins weren't flying lazily above the lake, there were no Pegasus horses grazing near the stone stables, and there were no hippogriffs sunbathing like they usually did. There was only silence. _

_"There's no noise," I whispered as if breaking the silence was unlawful. _

_Allian swore under her breath. "Be on guard. Especially you two." She added, pointing at Chris and me. _

_We nodded as we finally reached the gates of Hinget. My nose wrinkled as a foreign and disgusting smell made itself known. It smells distinctly like something burning… worse than garbage on a hot summer day. _

_It was so bad that I wanted to just puke my guts out, but I kept walking forward as the pedant grew colder. My feet carried me as if I had no control over my actions, and I knew I was heading for the Mermaid Fountain, which was their own unique way of speaking out against the Overlord. _

_My footsteps echoed across the deserted town and my feet scattered the torn-up stones from the road. I glanced uneasily to my right to see a tavern with its windows broken. Cold shivers traveled down my spine as I took in the eerie silence. I paused suddenly as a new foreign smell came across my nose. It wrinkled it disgust before deciphering the strange scent. _

_"Blood," I whispered. Chris' wings flashed white with surprise as I suddenly started flat out sprinting towards the center of town. I rounded a corner sharply and my body simply shut down in horror. _

_The walls were stained with the red blood of the innocent. Small children lay sightless and still in their nonliving mother's arms. Fathers and men lay before the woman, torn in two with their spines sticking out at awkward angles. Blackened bodies were piled up next to the fountain, burned and distorted beyond recognition. The smell of rotting flesh hit me like a bullet and I fell to my knees in horror. Spears and swords impaled infants and adults alike, while their bodies were carelessly tossed into the gutter. This was a massacre. No one was left standing. All of these people… were dead… their bodies infected by the black Aven's magic… they can't disappear… they can't find rest… _

_Flies swooped down from the sky and fell on the bodies like parasites, devouring the dead flesh and sightless eyes. My vision swam before my eyes and I felt the urge to retch again. _

_The dead were all staring at me with their unseeing eyes… I turned my head to the side a rejected the contents of my stomach. I heard similar sounds coming from behind me and I knew Chris had caught up. Dry sobs reached my ears and I sensed Allian crying behind me. I was unable to tear my eyes away from the boy closest to me. He was holding onto his mother and had an arrow in the middle of his neck. The mother had no head. _

_Someone gently rubbed circles on my back until the nausea subsided. I finally tore my glance away and found Darkal stooped down next to me with both Allian and Chris scooped up in his protective arms. He pulled me into the small huddle and we all mourned the innocent lives that were lost. Allian was taking it really hard. She kept saying that she should have seen this coming, that it was only a matter of time before these people were attacked by the Overlord. _

_Darkal kissed the top of her head lightly and Chris and I slipped out of the hug so he could comfort Allian. Darkal took the normally fierce leader in his arms and rocked gently back and forth. I felt empty and cold at the sight. I could barely move at all and was scared out of my mind, but the soft glow of my pendant led me towards the fountain. I paled as I found disembodied arms and legs floating in the red waters, but suddenly understood why I was drawn here. Attached to one of the shattered alexandrite mermaids was a declaration bearing the Overlord's seal. _

_With shaking hands, I snatched the parchment up and read the neat handwriting of the Lead Hunter. "Let it be known that at 14:00 on May 12th, 2000, Hinget Town was convicted of the highest level of treason against the Divine Overlord by aiding the dangerous and violent creatures of the rebellion. Let their fate be an example to all who support the rebellion. We're coming for you next," I read aloud, but couldn't finish as white-hot tears distorted my vision. I crumpled the paper in my hand and let out an angry growl and a sob. _

_"That bastard will pay for this," Allian snarled through her tears. "I'll personally make sure that I'm there to see that filthy autocrat die a slow and painful death." _

_I clenched my fists tightly and shut my eyes against these images that I had just recognized from all of those years ago... this was the scene that the medallion had showed me. Death, destruction, and sorrow… all because I wasn't on **his **side… _

_"**He** should die," Chris spat, shaking with rage. "And burn in the lowest circle of Hell." _

_"Strange, I was about to say the same thing about you," came a slight hiss. _

_I snapped around as someone came out of the shadows, his sword still gleaming with the pretentious presence of dried blood. I glared and my hands curled into angry fists at my side. Allian and Darkal rose to there feat and Chris drew his ivory sword. _

_"Bastard," Darkal hissed. "Don't you feel anything Hunter? All of these people… how could you do this?" _

_The heavily muscled man threw his sharp head back and his long black hair swayed around his face. His tight black trench-coat was soaked through with blood. My sorrow instantly evaporated. I had a target now, someone who caused all of this death and suffering. The least I could do was avenge their lives. The man finished his evil rant and pointed a finger at me. _

_"Why don't you ask your little guardian there?" the Aven Hunter darkly chuckled, pointing at me. I didn't respond to his attempts to provoke me, I just took in his strange appearance. His fingers were shaped like that of a bird, clawed and dangerous. He had jet black feathers coming out of his wrists and feral gray eyes. His wings were like that of a hawk, poised in the air ready to strike down his prey. _

_"Jaden hasn't done anything you jackass," Allian snarled at the bird creature. _

_The man let out his harsh laughter again. "Didn't you ever wonder where you went three years ago little guardian?" _

_"Shut-up Hunter," I snapped. "I won't fall for your mind games." _

_That made him laugh even harder. Chris shifted slightly besides me. His wings were bright red with blazing anger. _

_"Games? Games little guardian?" Hunter jeered. "What's the fun if you can't play with your prey before killing it?" _

_I growled at him, the wild sound coming from the back of my throat. He smirked at my warning call before shifting to a fighting stance. "If I could take out an entire village single-handedly, how can you four expect to defeat me?" he taunted. _

_My gut twisted, but not with fear. Hatred was boiling in my blood and pounding in my ears. I hated this cruel man before me with all of my heart and souls. I gathered my sword in my hands and slipped into position with my Evermore family. Our wings brushed against each other in a sign of comfort in this dark day where blood ran cold. _

_His hand moved suddenly, almost too fast to see, and I saw a glint of steel flying through the air. We all dove to the side as the knife sank into the wood behind where Allian's head had been a millisecond ago. Chris was by her side and I was flanking Darkal. The hunter smirked and took another knife from his belt. _

_I stood up angrily and snatched the deadly projectile out of the air as it was whipped at my wing. The hunter was stunned by my quick movements, and I was deeply satisfied to see a brief flicker of fear cross his hawk-like face. I didn't throw the dagger back at him, not yet. _

_Darkal glanced at Allian and she nodded, sending us a small determined smile. They leapt at the Aven in one motion, slashing their swords from both sides. _

_All's fair in war. _

_It was never meant to be. Their swords clanged together with a shower of sparks as the Hunter disappeared in thin air. I looked around wildly and picked up a flash of black feathers near Chris. My redheaded friend blocked the hunter's blow with difficulty and avoided death by a hair. _

_"Chris!" I yelled. I leapt foreword, propelling myself with my wings and moving as fast as I could. The Aven hunter smirked and whipped a whip he had taken from his belt at me. The harsh spiked leather cut into my back, leaving angry red marks, but I fought down the pain and crashed into the Hunter, knife in hand. _

_His pupils dilated as his own dagger submerged into one of his spotted black and brown wings. He cried out as I dragged the weapon down, nearly tearing his wing in half. _

_His fist connected with the side of my jaw and I was sent flying back seven feet. I crashed into the blood stained wood of an inn and fell to the ground, knife still in my hand. I ignored the pain that shot from my injured back and charged at the hunter again, who was fending off an enraged Allian while Darkal scooped an injured Chris into his arms and whisked him away from the fight. He placed him down on the ground and started to stop the flow of blood coming from his stomach with a torn piece of his shirt. Chris moaned something about killing that bastard and I couldn't agree more. _

_I glared at the odious man before me. I had at least caused him some pain, some kind of justice to the terrible act he had just committed. My momentum brought me right next to this filthy murderer and he twirled his whip at me again with his left hand, attacking Allian with his sword in his right hand. I jumped away from the whip as it snapped to my left. _

_"Missed me," I snarled and drove my sword at his chest. _

_He turned in a circle, blocking my blow with his sword and twisting his whip around Allian's sword and jerking it out of her hands. _

_"Really?" he sneered back. His wings suddenly wrapped me in a very feathery cocoon. He dropped his whip and grabbed my wrists before I could retaliate. My sword dropped painfully to the ground as his claws dug into my flesh. But I still had the knife. I struggled against his strong grip, but couldn't break free. _

_"I really should be thanking you, little guardian," the Aven creature started. "For one, your pathetic friends won't even try to attack me with your safety in jeopardy. The other reason you may ask?" _

_I let out that feral growl again and bit down on his hand. One thing that I had learned from the Rebellion was that if you fight fair, you die. There is no honor in death here. He didn't flinch as I bit into his rough flesh and drew his bitter blood. He started laughing and drew me closer with his hard, feathery wings. _

_"The other reason is that this was all your idea three years ago." _

_I stopped trying to gnaw my way out of his grasp suddenly. Then I straightened out and spat out a wad of his blood in his face and replied frostily, "I won't fall for your stupid tricks Hunter!" _

_The grip on my wrists and the hard wings against my back tightened. "This is no trick. It's time you've taken responsibility for your actions Yuki. You appeared in the Evermore tower, my humble home, a little over three years ago. You told me of a plot to usurp the rebels and cause them grief. 'Cut off there lifelines' you said. 'Eliminate their allies one by one until all they have left is a genocide on their hands and are left weak and defenseless. Make them cower like the dying dogs that they truly are.'" _

_"Lies!" I spat at him and tried to get some type of movement in my confined space. _

_"None of that now," he smirked, digging his claws deeper into my wrists. I screamed in pain as my own crimson blood poured from my body like small rivers. _

_Someone shouted my name from the other side of these damned dark wings. The hunter was enjoying my pain. I winced as his hands dug deeper into my blood. With another feral growl, I did the only thing that came to my head and was within my range of movement. I slammed my knee into his groin as hard as I could. _

_My attacker doubled over immediately and his wings parted slightly in shock. I fell backwards out of the opening and backed away from the livid hunter on my butt. A demonic aura pulsed around him as he glared at me with cold eyes, uttering a single word of summoning. _

_"Shit!" Allian cursed as the darkness started to manifest itself. She swept Chris up bridal style and launched herself into the air. Darkal grabbed me by my armpits and chased after her despite my protests. My back ached as it rested against Darkal's blue T-shirt and my wings were folded at an awkward angle. _

_"What are you doing?!" I demanded from his arms, unable to keep the bloodlust from my voice. _

_"He's summoning a Specter! We can't fight the nonliving Jaden!" he hollered over the wind. _

_I squirmed in his arms, wanting nothing more than to go prove him wrong and to kill that Aven bastard that killed all of those people and said that I was the cause… _

_"Jaden!" Chris commanded from Allian's arms. "Just chill out bro! We'll get him next time!" _

_I sent a death glare back at the small speck that was now the hunter. "What will the Specter do when it sees we're gone?" _

_"Most likely get revenge on the hunter for summoning it for no reason," Allian replied through gritted teeth. _

_"No, he's got to have some kind of back-up plan," I argued. "He's not stupid." I paused in my attempts at freedom for a split second before the truth hit me. "The people! He's going to feed their bodies to the Specter! LET—ME—GO—DARKAL! LET—ME—AT—THAT—BASTARD!" _

_I resumed my struggling with tears running down my cheeks again. Darkal kept me in an iron-grip as I fought out all of the anger and sorrow in my system. By the time we arrived back at the base I was too exhausted to move and my back and wrists were throbbing painfully. Allian brought me and Chris to our healing pixie, Holly. _

_I was still in a foul mood when our clear-winged pink-dressed pixie friend placed her cool hands over my back and started to mumble a few words in her strange language. My back suddenly felt good as new and the soft blue glow spread to my wrists and healed up the ten puncture wounds. Chris was waiting for me to be finished since he had already been healed. _

_"At least you hit him where it hurts, huh Jay?" he teased lightly. _

_A small smile came on my lips, it may have been from the giddy after-effect of Holly's healings, but that didn't matter. A smile is a smile and I started to heal my own scarred mind. _

_End Flashback _

Alexis had her hand over her mouth, horrified. Crystal tears started falling down her cheeks before Jaden gently brushed them off.

"That's horrible! Jaden… I'm so sorry…" she whispered. He gave her a sad smile.

"It's in the past now Alexis," Jaden replied tonelessly. "Besides, the hunter was murdered in cold blood by N—"

Jaden stopped abruptly. He twisted a piece of Alexis's hair around absently and reflected on that fateful day when Nick brutally murdered the hunter in public. They had all believed that he was just acting on the Overlord's orders… as always… but now he knew better. Nick and the Overlord were the same people. He sighed heavily before continuing, "By who we thought was the Overlord's new apprentice."

_Flashback: _

_I was crouched on one of the stone rooftops of Al Vuelo, the capital city of Evermore and home of the Overlord's castle. The dark structure glowered down at the public airily, content with the display of its dominance over us weak-hearted innocents. I could practically hear the building laughing. _

_Normally I wouldn't sneak into the Overlord's city, for reasons that are undeniably obvious, but today was different. I was accompanied by my Evermore family, Lillian, and Gravelon. Gravelon still had his gargoyle wings firmly attached to his back. His skin had the same gray pallor and his voice was still gravelly. _

_Word that the Overlord had an important message to the public had reached their ears just this morning, causing the Rebellion to send its fastest fliers to the city so we could hear the message with our own ears. Lillian was perched like a cat next to me, he eyes a very calm brown along with her wings. Chris was right next to her in a similar position. Allian was slightly in front of me, tensed and ready to strike out. Darkal was behind us and kept throwing quick glances behind us to prevent us from being sighted from any high-flyers. Gravelon was next to Chris, his eyes catching ever slight movement. _

_The crowd below us was full of various residents of Evermore, all of them elegantly dressed because they expected to see the Overlord for the first time. For some reason, the Overlord had been increasingly secretive over the past few years. Allian suspected that he had been murdered and that there was a new Overlord that hadn't revealed himself yet. I asked her the Overlords name and she said she didn't know. _

_I doubted that, but kept quiet. Lillian let out a small gasp as the castle's black marble gates slowly opened. Her outcry was unnoticed due to the large amount of people below us. Suddenly, everyone grew quiet. They all stared at the Aven hunter. He was walking out with a bit of a swagger. He wore his usual black trench coat, shirt, and pants. His blood-stained sword was at his side and his black duel disk was strapped to his arms. _

_I let out a gasp of my own as the second figure appeared. He had short, spiky, black hair and deep violet eyes. He wore black chainmail over his deep blue muscle-shirt and he wore simple jeans. His silver sword with a hilt that matched his eyes was in his hands and an evil smirk was plastered on his lips. _

_"Nick," I hissed. _

_Lillian placed a comforting hand on my shoulder before turning back to my cousin and the hunter. _

_"Citizens of Evermore," Nick called, his voice echoing off the silent streets. Then the silent telepathic voice of the Evermore Army leader rang out. **"Warriors of the sky." **_

_I winced slightly at the cold tone in his voice. Darkal whispered, "What did Nick say?" _

_I knew that he meant the latter. "Warriors of the sky," I whispered. _

_"As you have heard, the residents of Hinget have been… dealt with because they committed the highest level of treason against the Divine Overlord," Nick boomed in a carrying voice. **"The scum was in our way and the rebels need to be taught a lesson." **_

_I shook with anger. "The scum was in our way and the rebels need to be taught a lesson." _

_The twin fairies' wings flashed crimson. _

_"They aided the Rebellion, who you all know as the vile creatures who try and stop the war against the malevolent Everlosts," Nick continued. The crowd hissed and booed at the name of the Everlosts and Rebellion. He said nothing in his selective voice this time. He simply waved his arms at the audience and they quieted once more, their attention focused. _

_"So the Overlord has sent me to deliver this news to you all. He has also stressed that I tell you the appearance of the Rebellion leader and the Guardian child," Nick laughed cruelly. _

_"The Guardian has appeared?!" someone shouted. _

_"Tell us who he is! We'll find him and drag him to the throne!" another called. _

_My friends moved closer to me unconsciously in a defensive circle. _

_"Tell us about that odious rebel leader! We'll skin him alive!" _

_Nick smirked at the uproar he had caused. The memory of Serena saying that very few people supported the Rebellion popped into my head. Well now I had proof. _

_"The leader's name is Allian Pronscea." _

_Several people in the crowd stirred in recognition. "That angel that used to be the Overlord's head knight?" someone called. _

_I almost plummeted off of the roof when they said that. I stared at Allian in shock, but my friends didn't move an inch. Lillian touched my arm again and nodded. My mouth fell open. I knew Allian was a fierce fighter, but I never would have guessed that she had learned it from defending the Overlord! _

_"Later," she whispered in my ear. _

_Nick smirked again at the audience and the hunter let out his harsh laughter. "Yes," Nick simply replied. "As many of you know, she is tall and thin, but nowhere near fragile. She has pale skin and electric blue eyes. Her hair is long and blonde while her wings are white. Her sword is silver and white." _

_The crowd became silent once more, waiting to hear my name ring across the audience. "The Guardian is ten years old, had brown hair and big brown eyes. He is the average size of a human child that age and has an athletic build. His wings are like the angel's, only with gold and red at the very tips. His name is Jaden Yuki." _

_The crowd remained silent for the longest time. _

_"And we have also captured another spy from the Rebellion who gave us all of this information," Nick continued. **"Let this be an example to any others who fail their missions." **_

_I repeated his words with a growing sense of rage. The hunter suddenly looked very apprehensive. He glanced at Nick's sword warily, as if just figuring out that it was there. _

_The Evermores jeered and made several calls of, "Kill the traitor!" _

_"The traitor is standing right before you," Nick whispered, but the sentence was stunning enough to carry over everyone's voices. **"Let it be known that no matter what your ranking is, this will be your fate."** _

_His sword was at the hunter's back before the Aven could move. Stunned silence greeted him before the noise came. _

_"It's always calm before the storm," Lillian whispered. _

_A chant of death demands rose to meet our ears. I found that I suddenly didn't want that sword to strike down. Not by Nick's hands. This would prove that my cousin truly is too lost to be saved… _

_The hunter was begging Nick to spare him. I felt sickened by the sight again. _

**_"And Jaden," _**_Nick smirked, **"wherever you are right at this moment, know that you are the cause for all of this death." **_

_I closed my eyes as Nick drew his sword back as if in slow motion. I heard the nauseating sound of a sword cutting through the heart and opened my eyes. _

_The tip of my cousin's blood-soaked sword was protruding from Hunter's chest. The Aven stared at his death for a second before making a revolting gurgling noise and falling to the ground, dead. _

_End Flashback _

* * *

Hehe... so part 2 is done! The next chapter isn't about Jaden's past, it's about what's going on at Dual Academy and with Blair, Marcel, Crowler, and Bonaparte. 

Did you guys like the spoiler? gets attacked by angry fans

Fans: WHAT DO YOU MEAN "THE BITTER END"?!?!

runs and hides

**PREVIEW FOR NEXT CHAPTER:**

Dual Academy is visited by Mystic and Jaden's aunt to warn them about upcoing danger. When they arrive, they find that the school is under attack by creatures of Everlost. Can they help the school or will they have to give into the Everlosts demands to bring Jaden to the Queen?

Meanwhile, our kidnapped characters are trapped in, well heck, they have no idea! But our 'heros' encounter one of the guards who is actually a spy for the Rebellion! Will he help them escape or will the plan fail?


	21. Her Last Wish

**DISCLAIMER: I DON'T OWN YUGIOH GX!**

THIS CHAPTER IS NOT PART 3 OF JADEN'S SECRET, ALTOUGH IT DOES MENTION SOME THINGS ABOUT HIS RELATIONSHIP WITH LILLIAN.

WARNING: THIS IS A SAD CHAPTER

YOU CAN ONLY GUESS WHY...

(MAKES FACE AT QUEEN)

YOUR TURN TO BE EVIL AGAIN!

**

* * *

**

**Chapter 19**

Two women were running swiftly down a dark street in the middle of the misty night. The sounds of their breaths were deep and even, signaling that they were in great shape and their footfalls were consistent. The pair made there way to the docks quickly, glancing from side to side nervously. One woman had bright purple eyes; the other had calming blue ones.

When their feet were at the very edge of the docks, they finally looked at each other. The woman with blue eyes nodded, some loose strands of brown hair bobbing around her face. The other woman returned the notion and her eyes started to glow.

"Oh, passages of thy darkened moon grant us a path to our destination," she called out in a carrying voice. "Take thyself, Demon Mystic, and thy mortal, Catherine Yuki, to the home of the guardian, Duel Academy."

A soft silver ring appeared around the woman, illuminating them properly for the first time. The woman called Catherine Yuki was around forty years old, but had a young face and long brown hair. She was wearing black shorts and a silver tank-top. Her hair was pulled up in a ponytail.

The other woman who called herself Mystic had even longer purple hair that was pulled into a messy bun. She was wearing a black dress with silver trimmings that slit open on her sides and revealed silver shorts beneath them. They were both wearing moccasin-like black shoes.

Cathie Yuki turned to face the demon that had been her enemy not so long ago. Mystic did likewise and the woman nodded to each other. "For peace," they said before being engulfed in the silvery light of the moon.

* * *

_"Marcel?" Blair asked, walking up to her friend. "What's wrong? Why did you ask me to come here?"_

_Marcel looked up at her with his quiet green eyes. For once, they looked happy. _

_"Nothing's wrong Blair," he said in a more upbeat tone than normal. "I just wanted to thank you... thank you for caring for me when I was possessed by Yubel." _

_Blair smiled warmly at her friend and sat down besides him on the forest floor. "Oh course I'd care about you Marcel! That's what friends are for!" She started to nervously wind her fingers through her long purple hair. Why was it that she could openly tell Jaden how she felt about him, but she couldn't say anything to Marcel? Is this what Alexis was trying to tell her so long ago? Was this truly love? _

_"I don't want to be friends," Marcel whispered quietly. He was looking deep into her brown eyes as he said this, and she knew he wasn't lying. Tears started to well up in her eyes at these harsh words. _

_"Why?" That was all she could say. Her emotions were whirling through the young preteen like a hurricane and she couldn't even manage to yell at him. "What did I do to make you want that? Didn't I take care of you? Don't you like me?" _

_"That's the problem Blair," Marcel whispered, a bit shyly. "I _do _like you... just not as a friend." _

_Blair's tears stopped abruptly. Could he actually like me too? "Marcel... are you trying to say that you... love me?" _

_Marcel looked away, as if he was worried that she would reject him. "I know you love Jaden Blair, but I had to tell you how I felt... When you were so worried about me... and you always talked to me when no one else would... when you caught me after Yubel tossed me aside... I knew that I felt differently about you... forgive me for intruding on your relationship with Jaden Yuki." He stood up and started to walk away from her. _

_"Wait! Marcel!" Blair shouted, standing up quickly. She made to chase after him, but something grabbed her arm from her side. She glanced down and saw a scaly arm and claws. Fear overpowered everything else and Blair let out an ear-splitting screech before a vile tasting cloth was wrapped around her mouth. _

_"So you love Jaden Yuki, do you precious?" a cruel voice snarled in her ear. Blair shook her head earnestly. She tried to call out to Marcel, who was struggling against his own kidnapper, but the gag wouldn't let her. He saw her shake her head no and his eyes widened a fraction. _

_Could she actually love him instead? _

_"No matter," the woman holding Marcel spat. She had flaming red hair and dragon wings attached to her back. "They still know little Jaden, so we can take them. The Overlord told us to take his friends after all." _

Overlord? What the hell are these things? What do they have to do with Jaden? _Blair and Marcel thought at the same time. _

_"I still don't understand why we can't take that little blue-haired kid, he's Jaden's best friend after all," Blair's capturer complained. _

_"I told you, he's always by Jaden, and if we piss off that little devil while we're right in front of him, we're history," the female replied icily. _

_The male rolled his eyes. "Fine," he sighed. "Although... I don't see why we had to kidnap his teachers." _

_The female shrugged. "They were just annoying to be honest. I'd thought we be nice to the students and take the French meatball (Bonaparte) and the hermaphrodite (Crowler) out of the picture." **(AN: I swear, what kind of a guy wears lipstick and pink frills?) **_

_Blair tried to kick at the winged creature holding her, but the man swept her up into the air before she could react. Her feet left the ground at an alarming rate and all of her breath whooshed out of her nose. She could occasionally pick up Marcel swinging in and out of view beneath her with the winged female, but for the most part, could only pick up the whitecaps of fierce waves in the ocean and white puffs of clouds reflected off the water. Once or twice she could have sworn she saw a dolphin carrying a young merman with black hair on its back, sending glares up at the demons that had snatched her and her crush, and she also saw two other females hovering just out of sight beneath the waves, but every time she tried to focus on the shapes, they vanished. _

_Eventually, the foursome flew into the wet water vapor that is a cloud and her world went black. _

"Ahh!" Blair screamed as she shot straight up. She was lying on the cold, hard, marble floor of her prison. Shivering, she snuggled closer to Marcel, who looked like he hadn't slept in days. The young boy had deep purple bruises under his eyes and his eyelids were drooped slightly. He stroked her hair softly like she had always wished Jaden would, and she calmed down.

"What is it?" he asked quietly. "Did you dream of them again?"

She nodded slowly and then stood up, stretching. Dr. Crowler and Bonaparte were standing up as well with their hands wrapped around the hard iron prison bars. They had continued their argument with the guards about their 'unjust' imprisonment, still stating that they hated Jaden Yuki with a passion and shouldn't be here.

"Father," Marcel sighed for the billionth time.

"Get a grip," Blair flared at the two older figures. "They aren't going to let you out, so just shut-up!" She had grown rather cross at being stuck here for so long... wherever here was. "You're only going to get us in more trouble!"

Right on cue, on of the guards from the end of the hall started to make his way towards them. He was a new one, because Blair was pretty sure she hadn't seen him before. He was good-looking with tan skin and wasp-like wings. He had flaming red hair and calm brown eyes. They reminded her for an insane second of Jaden, and hope soared through her frightened heart. If Jaden was here, he would save them. She knew it. She didn't care if what all of the rumors said were true, she didn't care if Jaden had become evil in the Dark World, because he certainly wasn't evil now.

Marcel stood up and appeared by her side in a millisecond. Although... she was enjoying her time with her crush... even if she was in some strange prison and being held hostage by mythological creatures. Hey, what's a girl to do?

The guard stopped in front of their cell and folded his arms across his black muscle shirt and chain armor. On his shirt was a strange purple symbol that looked like a cross between the silhouette of a dragon and a dagger. His eyes slanted downwards and narrowed while his wings flashed bright red, but his eyes stayed brown.

We all scooted back until we were at the end of our cell.

"Don't be afraid," he whispered in a surprisingly calm voice, although his eyes stayed narrowed and his wings red. "I won't hurt you, but if you aren't quiet, someone else might. And I don't want to see Jaden go through any more pain than losing my sister did to him."

* * *

All was eerily still in the Academy courtyard. Several men in black were stationed at various points across the schoolyard, but they did not move. They fingered tranquilizer guns and duel disks carefully, their eyes all locked on the woods. They were all waiting for all hell to break loose again, like it had every night since the seniors had left for Nhime Village. 

A twig snaps. Nothing moves. Bright blue-green eyes glow from the depths of the forest. Tranquilizer guns are aimed. The wind rustles through the leaves. Everything is quiet for a heartbeat.

More eyes appear.

The men deploy their duel disks.

Red lights flicker from the trees.

Cards are drawn.

Weapons are armed.

Worried faces appear in the windows of Duel Academy.

Someone sneezes violently and the spell is broken.

Creatures with slit gills and webbed feet rush out of the protection of the forest and engage in battle with Kaiba's men. The Everlosts fight fiercely, wincing when a fellow member falls to the ground, but they know they will win.

The humans fight back just as hard, but there is no hope in there eyes. They know it too.

**(With our 'favorite' demon and Aunt) **

A ring of silver light appears on a similar dock and Cathie Yuki appears with her companion. They both stare out at the sunken ships in the harbor with horror and the small gravestones etched near their feet in the soft earth.

"They're here," Mystic gravely stated. "We're too late."

"No!" Cathie said defiantly. "I don't care how you demons think, but I won't give up! There's still hope! If I've learned one thing from Melody and Jaden, it's that you can't give up! There's always hope somewhere!"

"Somewhere," Mystic agreed, "but not here."

Cathie glared at the demon and held out her hand declaring, "Then let's make some misery for the Everlosts and go down fighting."

The demon smirked and shook her hand firmly. "Let's."

They nodded and started running towards the main building, hearing screams and roars from monster with every step closer they took.

* * *

"What are you talking about?" Crowler demanded a bit loudly. 

"Quiet!" Blair hissed at her teacher. She turned to the teen with brown eyes and red wings. "Who are you and what do you mean?"

The young teen glanced at his partner quickly, who was busy harassing a captured rebel, before turning to face the questionable heroes. "My name's Christopher Lessinhop, but you can call me Chris. I'm a member of the Rebellion and I'm stationed here under the guise that I betrayed Allian Pronscea, the rebel leader, and Jaden Yuki, my close friend and enemy of the Overlord."

They prisoners glanced at each other. What was this guy talking about?

"How do you know that slacker anyway?" Bonaparte input. Chris's eyes narrowed for real this time.

"Don't call Jay that," he hissed, his eyes flashing red. "He busts his ass to make sure we all stay alive and if I recall, he's already saved _your son_ and _your ass_." He pointed to Bonaparte and Crowler angrily. "He already has to put up with enough crap without you two on his case."

"Thank you, Chris, I couldn't have said it better myself," Blair murmured. Marcel bit back the impulse to laugh. "But how _do_ you know Jaden? How do we know if we can trust you?"

"Honestly, nothing I can say will make you trust me," Chris answered brightly. "You'll always have doubt because you've never heard Jaden talk about his life, so you've never heard of me or the Rebellion. You'll just have to trust me on your own."

Blair huffed in annoyance and sat back down, crossing her legs.

"I've know Jaden since he was almost eight years old. We've been fighting together since we were ten, he and my twin sister, Lillian, dated when they were eleven years old, Lillian died in Jaden's arms when they were thirteen..." Christopher stopped talking and hid his eyes from them, which had flashed to a deep blue. His wings rippled a bit, but stayed red.

No one knew how to react. They were unsure whether or not to believe this person, but he wasn't faking sorrow, that much they could tell.

"I'm sorry," Blair whispered from the ground.

Chris managed a weak smile. "I'm glad that she died that way though. Lilly didn't feel a thing and she left the world kissing Jaden... so I know she was happy when she died... but Jay took it really hard... he was a wreck for months, always having to act like his normal self at his school and with his other human friends, it hurt him really bad. Whenever he visited here on the weekends to check up, he always visited her grave..."

_Flashback (Chris's POV) _

_Jaden was standing silently in front of a pure white marble tombstone among many others. In his hands was a yellow rose, Lilly's favorite flower. I watched silently as Jaden bent down and said a few words. _

_"Wherever you are Lillian, I hope you're happy," he whispered. Jaden closed his eyes tightly and clutched his heart as if in pain. I kept my distance from him, sensing that he still wanted to say more to my sister. "And I vow to you that I won't let your death be in vain. I promise that I'll do everything I can to stop this war... and I'm sorry that you died because of me... you should have lived longer and continued to shine like you always did." _

_I let a small frown show on my face. I always hated how Jaden blamed himself for my sister's death. It wasn't his fault that they shared feelings for each other and that bastard cousin of Jaden's had killed her in cold blood. That was obviously Nick's fault. _

_A small smile appeared on my mourning friend's face. "Remember that day that we all painted Darkal's wings pink? For some reason, that always pops in my head whenever I think of you. I remember that he was chasing us around all day, threatening us with that paintbrush." He laughed for a bit as tears started to run down his cheeks. I couldn't help but chuckle a bit too, that was one of my more happy memories with my twin sister that I had left. "Or when Alice managed to convince us to do that karaoke party? I still remember that song, 'If we were a movie'. I had that stuck in my head for a full eight days thanks to her! But I still can't believe that you guys here in Evermore are in love with human music, and I guess that song sort of woke up what I was feeling. You were always right there in front of me, but I never really noticed it until then... maybe if I would have noticed it sooner, we would have had more time together... or maybe you just would have had to deal with Nick more and would have been murdered sooner... guess I'll never know, but I don't care. I'll always cherish the time I had with you Lillian, and I promise that I'll keep on fighting." _

_How Jaden still managed to be cheerful after this, I wasn't sure, but hearing those two sing was funny as hell. They practically had to be thrown on the stage in the first place and then they had been so nervous that they almost bolted right off. When the music started playing, they gave into fate and decided to actually sing. They were pretty good, Lillian had a soft, sweet voice and Jaden had a rougher and more rock star-ish voice, but they sounded perfect together. However, they were both blushing so red they practically lit up like Rudolph's nose! _

_He laughed a bit more before he closed his eyes and wiped the tears off his cheeks, finishing with the Rebellion motto that he had unknowingly made. "Forget do or die. I'll never swim or fly." _

_He gently set the yellow rose on the ground and stood up, smiling softly. Jaden then walked slowly away from Lillian's grave and noticed me standing there. He gave me that same smile and said softly, "Thank you for letting me talk to her alone Chris." _

_I smiled back at him. "Thank you for loving her Jaden." _

_His eyes opened a bit as if in shock, but then they returned to normal. "I guess... it was love wasn't it?" _

_"There's not a better word for it Jaden. You two may not have been _**in**_ love, but you treated her as though you did," Chris continued. "And I'm glad that she died in your arms Jaden. I know that she died happy." _

_Tears started to run down his face again, and I felt the water start to stream down mine. I held out my hand to him, which he shook firmly, before flying off to my newest assignment... a false betrayal of the Rebellion. I felt Jaden's deep brown eyes watching me off as I flew right into the belly of the beast, the Overlord's Castle. _

_(End Flashback)_

Blair was clutching onto Marcel's hand, but couldn't remember at what point she had grabbed it. She couldn't believe that such a sad thing had happened to Jaden, but there was no way this Chris guy could have made this up. It sounded exactly like Jaden Yuki, at least the Jaden she knew. "What..." she faltered unsurely. Chris glanced up at her kindly, although he kept his wings red. "What exactly is the Rebellion?"

"We are a small group of people who want to end this war with peace," Chris whispered softly. "That is our goal because this senseless fighting has been slowly destroying our own dimensions, and too many innocent people have already died, like Lillian."

"War?" Marcel asked. "With whom?"

"We, Evermore (home of all mythological creatures of flight), are fighting against Everlost (all mythological creatures of the sea) for no apparent reason other than we dislike each other greatly... or at least most of us do," the male fairy answered simply.

Marcel didn't know how to answer that, so he just said, "Oh."

Christopher smirked at the younger boy and then glanced up at Crowler and Bonaparte. "So, do you trust me?"

Blair and Marcel answered right away, "Yes!"

Bonaparte and Crowler glanced at Chris Lessinhop uneasily. "What do we have to lose... it can hardly get any worse," Crowler sighed. Bonaparte nodded in agreement, although he looked none to happy about it.

"Okay, listen up, cuz I've been forming a plan to escape from here with the captured rebels while the Overlord is away..."

* * *

Screams pierced through the suffocating dark night as Kaiba's men were slowly defeated, one by one. Three younger creatures stood off to the side, horror evident in their eyes. They watched helplessly as the humans were slain by the filthy Queen's servants and the creatures started to make their way into the school building. 

"We have to do something Atrus," Liz commanded. Her big eyes were locked on the front doors of the school. "We can't just let them do this. You know that they'll kill the students and force Jaden to come back into this world. You know Jaden _will_ come if they threaten all of his classmates like this. And then it will be all over. She has the medallion, Atrus. We have to do something!"

"I know!" Atrus snapped, shifting his weight back and forth on his night legs. "But we can't fight an entire army alone! And if we do... the Evermore Rebellion members will die..."

Liz glared into his eyes. "I know that Atrus! There just has to something we can do! There's always hope somewhere!"

Atrus lowered his head and clenched his fists. Why did Liz have to sound so much like Jaden right now? Oh, yeah, because she was practically his little sister she looked up to him so much. Adria softly touched Atrus' arm. Her normally sharp eyes were gentle and sad. "Atrus, if we don't do anything, they'll die anyway. And it will be Jaden who kills them. Do you really want our friend to become a murderer?"

"He already is," Atrus hissed out. He was sorry the second that left his lips. What was he becoming? How could he say such a thing?

Adria's hold on his arm tightened until her nails were practically digging into his skin. "Don't! Ever! Say! That!" Her eyes burrowed into his own, clearing showing him her anger. "Jaden. Is. Not. A. Murderer."

Liz was also angry, which was shocking. The usually hyper and happy little mermaid was glaring at him intensly. Her little fists were balled up at her sides and her eyes were flaming. "Atrus I swear, if I ever hear you say that again about _any_ of our friends I'm going to skin your scales off!"

He was alarmed by that comment, but he felt like he deserved it. "I'm sorry guys," he whispered. "I'm just stressed out with everything that's happened... and Serena wasn't only our leader, she was Liz's mother... I just don't want to lose anyone else... I've already lost my brother... then Lilly... then Angela almost died..."

_Flashback (Atrus POV)_

_Dexter and I looked up _from_ where we were playing in the blue water. We heard a strangled screaming coming from the other side of the portal and a young girl fell through. She was still alive, that much we could tell by her frightened eyes. _

_"Help," she mouthed at us pleadingly. We dashed off and grabbed the young human by her arms and started to drag her back through, unaware of the menacing Everlost guard sneaking up behind us. We were jsut about to push the girl back through, were we knew the currents would carry her safely back to shore, when he appeared in front of us. _

_"Ah!" Dexter shouted in surprise. The little girl started to thrash in my arms. I glanced down at her and saw she was blue. If we were going to save her, we needed to get her out _now!

_"Move!" I shouted at the guard, who glared at me. "Can't you see that she's dying?"_

_"Yeah," my little bro agreed with me. "Get out of the way! She's only a little girl!"_

_The odious thing drew back his tapered fingers, dripping with their venom. He punched a hole in the girl's chest before we could react. She screamed, bubbles shooting from her mouth, before disappearing in the orange particles. _

_"Why did you do that?!" Dexter yelled at the guard. "She wasn't going to hurt anyone!"_

_"Humans are not to be helped you little scum," he snarled. "And now you are going to be punished for helping her."_

_He drew back his hand again, but I forced myself in front of my little bro. The guard slashed into my arm and I screamed as white-hot pain ws injected into my system. The poison slowly started to seep its way through my veins until I could not move, helpless as Dexter was grabbed my the guard and put into a choke-hold. _

_"D-De-Dex," I managed to mutter. "No..."_

_"Don't think I forget you, you little traitor scum."_

_"Atrus!" a familar voice called. I picked up Serena and Patrick cutting through the water and then the poison overtook everything else, leaving my world black. _

_"Arty?" cooed Adria as I opened my eyes slowly. She was holding my hand and gazing at me with hope. "He's alright!" She threw her arms around me and pulled me into a back-breaking hug, sobbing out how I almost died before the antidote kicked in. _

_"Where's Dexter?" I demanded suddenly. I remembered seeing him being strangled by the guard, with the poison being injected right into his neck. If they saved me, they must have saved him too! _

_But something told me different._

_The room was quiet. _

_"I'm sorry Atrus... he's dead."_

_(End Flashback and POV)_

"Atrus," Adria whispered more gently. "I can't guarantee that you won't lose any more friends, but I can say this: we won't leave you, no matter what. I promise that nothing can break the three of us apart, not even death."

Liz nodded. "It's like Jaden told me when I was upset about Lilly. 'The bonds of friendship can be lost, but they are never broken. A true friend never really leaves you, they will always be watching over you, waiting until the day comes that they can see you again. All you have to do is remember.' So that's what Mom is Arty, she's not really gone. Not even the Queen can take her from us." The youngest mermaid was crying now. The servants were pounding on the door now, it was splintering away slowly and they could hear screams coming from inside.

"So, are you in?" Adria asked, placing her hand in the air in front of him. Liz placed hers atop of Adria's and smiled at the male merman. He gave them a huge grin and stacked his hand on top of theirs.

"Screw 'do or die.'"

"Because we're done with 'swim or fly'."

**(Cathie and Mystic) **

"Thanks the gods that I'm not wearing heels," Cathie Yuki muttered under her breath. She put on an extra burst of speed when they heard something ramming a hard, wooden object. "The front doors!"

Mystic was right at her side, her purple eyes glowing eerily. She wasn't focused on the sound of the doors breaking down or the flashes of the green forest, her eyes were on three young teens with their hands stacked on one another. "Seems your nephew was right Cathie... there still is hope here."

"Those three?" she asked pensively. "They're so young..."

"So are Jaden and Melody," Mystic pointed out. "This generation is the best hope that anyone's ever had, so naturally they aren't all adults yet. Teens are the right age for this kind of thing. They still retain their childish senses of imagination and hold life with more hope than any adult could ever. They also have matured to the point that they understand... or are at least aware of responsibility. They are perfect at this age, not the soft innocent views of children or the hardened beliefs of adults."

Cathie was left speechless by Mystic's little speech. "How can a creature that feeds off of despair say something like that?"

"We don't only feed off of negative feelings," Mystic admitted. "Although... almost no demon would admit feeding off of a positive feeling except for me. Truthfully, we feed off of _strong_ emotions, positive or negative. With you humans, it's just usually the latter."

"Ah," Cathie replied, veering towards the mer-teens. "Hey! You three!"

Three startled heads spun in their direction. The young warriors whipped out their duel disks and activated them, attempting to start a water duel. "We don't need Evermore's army here too!" the only male shouted at Mystic, who looked offended.

"I'm not apart of that swine's army you dolt of a merman," Mystic snapped. She then paused, observing Atrus' emotions and memories curiously. Another one of Jaden's friends. Curious, what were they doing here? Oh, the Queen appeared and captured most of their resistance... and killed the young one... Liz's mother? And now you want to fight against the army by yourselves to detour them and try to save some of the students?

"We're in," Mystic simply said. "We're here to help. I am Mystic and this is Cathie Yuki."

"Your Jay's aunt," the one called Adria pointed out. "He talked about you for awhile. He holds you and your husband very highly."

"Umm..." Cathie said, not expecting to hear someone else who knew more about Jaden than she did. "Who are you all exactly."

The front doors started to implode on themselves. "Pleasantries later!" Cathie corrected herself. "We have to save them!"

Mystic was observing Liz carefully. She wants to use the power of the Soul Scepter? Doesn't she know that's dangerous? "Are you willing to do that young one?" she asked Liz.

Liz gave her a firm nod and turned slowly to the rest of the group. "I've got a plan guys."

* * *

"NOW SHUT THE HELL UP IF YOU DESIRE YOUR LIVES YOU PATHETIC HUMANS!" Christopher shouted at our problematic heroes. The humans didn't have to pretned to cower in fright as they huddled together in the corner of their cell. Dang, Chris was a really good actor. 

_Well I guess he has to be to be working undercover for the Rebellion,_ Blair concluded.

"S-sorry, sir," Marcel quivered, his bottom lip trembling for dramatic effect. Blair almost burst out laughing, but restrained herself so she wouldn't give Chris away. The older teen had told them that the Overlord was going to personally involve himself in the search for the Rebellion's base in two days and was taking a large amount of his guards with him, so escaping would be much easier.

"Not that it will be easy though," Chris amended. "Now it is just plausible to try and escape. It wouldn't be possible at all if the Overlord was here. It would be a suicide mission for me and you guys would be tortured until you spilled everything you knew about Jay, then you would be killed."

"Why is your kind like this?" Crowler had asked in a huff.

"We don't know any better," Chris sighed. "We've had evil rulers since the early 1300s, and even the immortal residents of Evermore have grown to see this evil as 'good' in actuality."

"Then why didn't someone overthrow the Overlord waaaaaay sooner?" Blair curiously asked.

"We've been trying since the 1600s," Chris shrugged. "And we haven't been able to overthrow either the Overlord or the Queen or stop the war since then. They just keep getting new leaders, each with more power than the last it seems and we keep getting killed off faster than we can get new members... or at least we did until Jaden came along. We've been slowly building our numbers back up since he came here Allian said. I don't understand how they can keep finding evil replacements, but it happens."

"So wait, how is Jaden involved in all of this?" Marcel pondered.

"You're going to have to ask Jaden that, although I doubt he'll tell you," Chris had said a bit sharply.

Then he had winked and started shouting at them like he hated them with a passion, which brings us back here. Now Chris had mentioned something about a dragon being one of the obstacles, so Blair just imagined that she was facing down the beast right now while desperately hoping that he had been kidding.

The other guard chuckled heartily and patted Chris on the back. "See now, aren't you glad that you left those stinking rebels Chris?"

Chris smirked at his companion. "You have no idea."

The rebel and the guard walked calmly back down the hallway, occasionally jeering at the cell's occupants. Marcel sighed heavily. "Well this is strange."

Blair nodded in agreement. What Chris had instructed was still displayed heavily on her mind. He had warned her that someone might die, and that nothing is guaranteed. So much for being like Jaden.

She sighed and picked herself back up, going over the plan in her head once again. This was going to be a looooooooong two days.

* * *

"Hell no!" Atrus shouted tears stinging in his eyes. "Liz, there's got to be another way! Let me do it instead!"

_I don't want to lose you too!_

"No Atrus," Liz calmly stated. "You can't, I won't let you do that. You have someone watching over your heart. Besides, I want to make my mother proud. This is something I've got to do."

"Liz," Cathie sharply interrupted. "The doors are almost down!"

She nodded at Cathie and started walking towards the mob of Everlosts with the Soul Scepter in her hands. "Atrus, Adria... I'll be watching and waiting, always. Take care of yourselves, all of you."

"Get ready Mystic, Cathie, Adria," Atrus said through his tears. Cathie had linked hands with Mystic, giving the demoness an anchor to keep them all in this world. Adria and Atrus had their hands hovering over their duel disks, ready to summon monsters to guide the students to Mystic.

Liz walked calmly until she was at the end of the mob. Then she lifted the scepter above her head with both her hands and cried out, "I, Liz Delane, daughter of the Rebellion and being of water, call upon the power of the souls of the scepter! To my hand!"

The scepter burst out in green light, engulfing Liz completely. Every eye on campus turned to face the glowing teen, which had risen into the air and her mermaid tail was present. "Students of Duel Academy! Run now! Follow the Atlantic Castle!"

Adria and Atrus slammed their cards down on their duel disks and a huge glowing castle appeared behind them. Silvery dolphins swam through the air after bursting from Adria's cards. A few mermen monsters burst from Atrus's cards, but they stayed close to Mystic in case of an attack. The demon was chanting in her twisted magical tongue, forming the words of transport.

The students did not hesitate. The school was emptied out quickly as Liz kept the Everlosts at bay. She was swimming through the air, sending powerful torrents of energy at the small army as her body seemed to start dissolving. She screamed in pain as orange particles started to seep in with the green, but she kept on fighting as the power of the scepter started to slowly destroy her.

"Liz!" Adria and Atrus yelled. Their childhood friend sparred them a glance, and they could not see any pain within her deep purple eyes, only fiery determination.

"Go," she said in a tranquil voice. The students hesitated when they reached Mystic and a ring of silver light surrounded them. Several members of the staff screeched out too. Liz turned to face the army and spread out her arms. "This is my end, but I'll make sure that its your's too."

Her body glowed brighter. She tilted her head back so that her eyes reflected the stars and the moon. "Sister moon, sister moon, please give my friends a safe passage," she whispered before declaring, "I sacrifice my life to save this island! By my pure intentions, oh souls of the scepter, please grant thy wish!"

The small army of Everlosts stared at Liz in wonder and awe. "The scepter listened," one of them whispered. "Is this what it was truly supposed to be used for? Saving pathetic humans?"

"Humans aren't pathetic," Cathie yelled from Mystic's side. "We just beat you didn't we?"

Liz smiled as the souls trapped within the scepter started whispering to her. _Thank you Liz Delane, we shall grant your friends safe passage, but that is all we can do. We cannot help your friend, Jaden Yuki; his life is too tangled within the darkness's of your worlds. The Queen still has too much power over us... but what is your wish? _

_I wish... _Liz smiled softly. _I wish for Atrus to realize what he has right in front of him._

_As you wish, Lady Liz._

The scepter disappeared from her hands as she fell to the ground, a few feet from Atrus and Adria. "Now no one can use that again," she said, her voice was just above a whisper.

"Liz," Atrus cried, lifting up her head. Adria grasped the young girl's cold hand. Liz stared up at her with glazed eyes. Adria sobbed and started running her fingers through Liz's hair softly, like they used to do as children. Tears fell down the three mer-teens' cheeks as they shared what would be their last conversation with the girl known as Liz Delane.

"I'm not afraid," Liz told them, her eyes telling the truth. "I can see my mom... and Dex... and Lilly... they're smiling."

Atrus wiped away his dying friends tears of pain. A dry sob racked his body and he shouted out, "No! Liz, please! Don't die!"

"Lizzy-lo," Adria whispered, using the pet name that she had made for the younger girl. "I won't forget you, I'll remember." She started shaking. "But, by God, I'll miss you!"

"Atrus... Adria... I'm happy... don't be... sad... I died... saving you... for peace..." she panted as the last bits of her energy fled her body from using the Soul Scepter. Her eyes closed slowly and she muttered her last words, "Go, live in ...peace and keep me ...in your hearts... I'm waiting."

Liz's body went limp, looking completely serene until the frayed orange and green particles that had surrounded her before swallowed her entire body in shards of light. Adria wept silently, pulling Atrus to his feet and into the silver ring while the Everlost army froze momentarily due to Liz's last gift to her friends. They boht knew she would never kill another person if it could be avoided... and now she was gone. As soon as the new feet of Atrus and Adria crossed the moonlight line, they too were swallowed in light, but this was a different kind of light. This light was only going to take them to a place with more sorrow, while Liz was finally in peace.

"Be well my friends," Liz's voice whispered in the wind. "I'm watching and waiting... always."

* * *

**(BRACES SELF FOR ANGRY PEOPLE)**

**YOUR REVIEWS MADE ME LAUGH LAST TIME, SO THANKS. A LOT OF YOU SEEM TO BE UNDER THE IMPRESSION THAT JADEN OR ALEXIS DIE. WHY? I NEVER SAID WHO THE BITTER END WAS FOR.**

**HINT: I ENTITLED THIS STORY "THE RISING" FOR A REASON.**

**YEAH, I KNOW THAT DIDN'T HELP AT ALL! n.n**

**REVIEW BECAUSE IT MAKES ME LAUGH WHICH MAKES MY BROTHER LOOK AT ME FUNNY WHEN I RANDOMLY BURST OUT LAUGHING FOR NO APPARENT REASON.**


	22. Darkness is Rising

**DISCLAIMER: I DON'T OWN YUGIOH GX!**

**SORRY FOR TAKING SO LONG TO UPDATE.**

**AND THANKS FOR ALL OF THE REVIEWS GUYS! I KEPT CRACKING UP AGAIN!!**

**AND GX IS SERIOUSLY FREAKING ME OUT, YOU KNOW THAT FEATHER THAT JADEN PICKS UP? THAT IS EXACTLY WHAT HIS WINGS LOOK LIKE IN THIS FANFIC... **

**(CUE SCREAMING AGAIN)**

**-.-;;**

**

* * *

**

**Chapter 20 **

"OUCH! Ow! OW!" Jaden jumped, pulling at the pendent touching his flesh. He tossed it to the ground next to him where it froze the timid grass on contact. Alexis blinked at the strange phenomena before leaning over Jaden's lap to see his wrist. She winced when she did. It looked as if the skin had been burned off there.

"What just happened?" she wondered pensively. "What could have been I _that _bad?"

Jaden shook his head gently massaging the reddened skin around his wound. "I don't know, but I've got to tell Allian about it. But first, I still owe you an explanation... so I'll just tell you what you should know and then we'll talk again later, alright?"

"To sum up what the heck I can do... I guess it comes into two different categories. When I am in control, my power is... change. When I'm not... it's destruction," Jaden mused. "That's really the best way to explain it. But, there's still a drawback to my power when I'm in control. It drains away my energy to use it properly because of all the focus and channeling I have to do to stabilize it. I've only had control once, and it would have almost killed me even if I hadn't been stabbed in the heart."

**_That and it's bad for your health in the long run. Use your power with control, which you don't have, and you'll die young. Use it without control, and she and everyone else will, _**Haou added pensively.

_Yeah, yeah, I know Haou. That's why I won't use it much even if I can control it. _

She nodded at her love and accepted the hand he offered her. She gripped it tightly, enjoying the warmth instead of that presence within him. "First off, Gravelon mentioned certain things that happen between the Guardian and Angel. Why don't you start there?"

He gave her a firm smile. "Romance huh?" Jaden snickered a bit.

Alexis punched him lightly in the shoulder. He waved his unoccupied hand in surrender. "Uhh... I guess when Nick told you that Guardian and Angel meant soul mates, he was only exaggerating a bit... basically Angel is the name for the person that the Guardian would always hold most dear in his life, who he would love for as long as he lived and she would feel the same for him. Not just some kind of puppy-love, but the real thing. Wow that sounded corny," Jaden added as an afterthought. "Anyway, there's a powerful connection between them... or the two of us that is. When one of us is in danger, the other can always tell and will know on instinct where to go and how to help. Sort of like telepathy."

Alexis let out a little gasp. "That's what happened when Pegasus and I found you after... you protected me." She seemed to be uncomfortable about that subject, she still remembered the pain she went through clearly... but it all felt like such a long time ago even though it was only a little over a day ago. "I could hear you calling to me... and I knew you were in trouble... and I knew to get Pegasus to carry you and because he knows doesn't he? At least some of it. I can already guess that you wouldn't tell anyone but me all of it."

"I won't deny it," Jaden conceded.

**_Only you won't tell her all of it either, _**Haou input idly.

_Shut-it Haou. _

"Is that why when I saw you jump off after me when I fell off that cliff... is that why I wasn't afraid? Because some part of me knew that we weren't in danger anymore?" she wondered.

Jaden nodded. "And you're supposed to be the only one who can honestly control me," he continued. "And the other way around. We're supposed to have a visible affect on one another. Like when I had you practically worried out of your mind back at Duel Academy or how you managed to get me to come out of my shell back there... or even right now. It's even rumored that in—how did Max phrase it—dire and drastic situations beyond the realms of intelligent comprehension, the angel can gain access to the Guardians powers and use them herself."

She smiled when Jaden brushed his lips against her head lightly.

"But when one of us is... taken away... that could result in the end for either of our sanity," Jaden whispered lowly. "If someone were ever to... take you away from me... I would most likely lose it and kill them in my pain, anger, hatred, doubt, and sorrow."

"Those emotions... they're the Wicked Doctrine texts," Alexis pondered slowly. "So Yubel knew this. Otherwise Brron just had a very lucky guess on how to make you evil in the Dark World."

Haou snorted from within Jaden's mind. **_And it had nothing to do with the fact that you gave up? _**

Jaden dutifully ignored him while Alexis continued with her thought process. "But I thought you didn't believe in destiny Jaden. How do you know that will happen for sure?"

"I already lost you once," he said in a hollow voice. "It hurt me more than anything else. In the moment that you were sacrificed Alexis, when I realized that I wouldn't be able to see or hear you again, I also knew that I loved you. I figured out what I felt one second and then lost you the next... and then to have everyone else's deaths on my hands... it was just too much. I wanted to avenge your 'death' and apparently it turned to revenge somewhere in that duel... I snapped and Haou was awoken. Brron didn't stand a chance. When I defeated him brutally, Syrus snapped me out of it. He could do that because he was one of the five carriers of the Wicked Doctrine Text, so hearing him reminded me that there was still someone left. But..."

He stopped talking and stared at his feet, hiding his eyes behind a mist of brown hair. Alexis slowly wiped his bangs away so she could see the sorrow and guilt in his eyes. "Don't hide from me Jaden," Alexis said firmly. "Being sad isn't something you should conceal. It only proves that you're good if you can feel regret."

He gave her hand a gentle, thankful squeeze. "Thanks Lex... anyway... I think that answers your question."

"Yeah," she agreed. "So is that it?"

"Pretty much... except that there's a legend going around that the Guardian and Angel together could take down the Overlord and Queen to restore peace to all of the worlds."

"Jaden... were you happy?"

"Huh?" he asked. He had not expected a question like this. But that was one of the things that he loved about Alexis, she could always surprise him.

"Were you happy before...?"

He didn't even have to think about this, the answer came naturally. "Yes, Alexis, I was happy. Even if it was hard work and I had to lead a double life. I had great friends in all three of the worlds, I could fight for what I wanted to, and I helped _save_ people... It was a busy life, but I don't regret it at all."

"Not even after she died?"

"When Lilly died... things went downhill, that's for sure. We're such a small group that we all knew her closely and we all mourned her. We set up a grave for her in the Wayside Forest... It was hard. I always had to act whenever I was with my mom or hanging out with my other human friends, but they knew something was wrong. I ended up telling them that Lillian and I had broken up just to get them off my backs," Jaden sighed. "They never touched the subject again."

"Oh," Alexis mumbled. "I'm sorry Jaden..."

"Don't be, it's not your fault."

"So... is that it then?" she asked. He nodded and copied her, giving her his victory sign with his burned hand. But it was empty.

_No, it's not. _

**_No, you only left out that— _**

_I know what I left out you dumb other half thingy! _

**_... Dumb other half thingy? Wow, that was lame. _**

_Well... _Jaden thought helplessly. _That's kind of what you are... _

Haou rolled his gold eyes and tuned Jaden back in on Alexis with an audible sigh. She was gazing up at him with a peculiar look on her stunning features. He cocked his head to the side before continuing.

"So basically once word gets out that I love you, you're going to be targeted almost as much as me," Jaden said in a tone that had an "I'd-like-to-see-them-try" edge to it.

"So act when we aren't alone?" she offered. "It would take some pressure off of you so you wouldn't always have to protect me."

"There's one more important thing," Jaden admitted nervously. How was she going to react to this? "The Overlord of this world who killed my father and seized the throne... um... I think he already knows...he's kinda my cousin."

A heartbeat. Somewhere a hippogriff calls into the night. Another stunned heartbeat. Her hazel eyes open wide and her mouth hangs open. A skipped heartbeat.

"And I thought I had a crazy family," Alexis finally managed to squeak, coming out of her shock at Jaden's concerned touch. "But yours takes the cake."

"Hehe," Jaden weakly chuckled. A light bulb suddenly went on in Alexis' head.

"So that's what you were talking about!"

"Huh?" an utterly bewildered Jaden demanded.

"When you talked to the dragon! You were asking her if Nick was really all evil, right."

"Uh-huh," he confirmed. "And she said that he's just the opposite of me."

"What about Melody?"

"She's normal, thank goodness."

"Well as normal as you Yukis get," Alexis teased lightly. Jaden laughed and pulled both himself and Alexis into a standing position once again. The first rays of dawn kindled on the surface of the soft horizon. "I guess we have to go back now and pretend to hate each other's guts, right?"

Jaden sighed dramatically. "Sadly, yes. Do you think you can match up to my acting?" he teased.

"Well you do have more years of experience with lying... I'll be fine Jaden," she insisted. "But there was something I wanted to learn about... but I'm not sure how to approach it."

"I'm all ears Lex."

"Well... I wanted to know about Lillian..."

A shadow crossed Jaden's face at the sound of the girl's name. "She left me something... her journal. It's back in Allian's room, she keeps it safe for me when I'm gone. You can read it if you want."

"Would I be intruding on...?"

"Read the inscription. If you still have any doubts, don't read it," Jaden said seriously, pulling her towards the stairs. They paused until when they arrived at the trapdoor that led back into the caverns. Alexis reached up and moved Jaden into a tight hug. She felt him relax in her arms with satisfaction.

He pulled her back until their noses were brushing tips. He stared into her dazzling hazel eyes in the fragile morning sunlight, leaning in towards her lips. She closed her eyes and met him halfway. The young couple captured each other in a passionate good-bye kiss, but everyone needs oxygen. They broke apart with their foreheads resting against each other. Jaden smiled honestly and picked up his medallion carefully. "Good-bye until we're together again."

* * *

"Jaden? Alexis?" a groggy Allian yawned. Her hair was sticking out in odd places and the white feathers on her wings were a bit disheveled. "What're you doing up so early?" 

"Can we come in Allian? It's important," Jaden asked the leader. The angel nodded, stepping aside to allow the two humans in. Alexis hovered uncertainly at Jaden's side. Her eyes were locked on Allian's knowing blue irises.

"So you guys are back together? How much did he tell you little angel?" Allian wondered, becoming more aware. "Never mind, what's so important that you have to blow your cover with Alexis Jaden? You know that I can see that kind of stuff."

"This," Jaden simply stated, holding up the pendant that was glowing a vivid blue now. "Something really bad just happened. Look at what it did." He displayed his injured wrist with gusto.

Allian let loose a string of curses that would have shamed a sailor. His wrist was put into her surprisingly motherly hands as she examined her friend. She hissed with displeasure when she saw the raw skin and gently prodded it with her finger. A few stray blue sparks made their way around his wound, knitting together parts of the skin. She sighed when they faded away, leaving red skin behind.

Jaden eyed her with raised eyebrows, to which Allian shrugged. "I've been learning from Holly, but I'm not very good at healing. So much for being an angel, right? I can't heal or seem to always see the difference between... never mind."

She made her way to her desk and pulled open the top drawer haphazardly, withdrawing the shimmering crystal surface of the communication mirror. Wordlessly, she marched outside with the Guardian and his Angel following closely behind. The meek rays of sunlight refracted off the surface of the mirror as the leader tried to contact any surviving members of the Everlost Rebellion. Alexis rocked back and forth on the balls of her feet, not entirely sure what to do. What exactly was going on? Were they going to stare at their reflections all day? So she naturally gasped when the mirror shimmered for a brief second and a face started to manifest within the mirror.

"Atrus!" Jaden gasped. Alexis shivered when she recognized the merman, his olive eyes seemingly haunted, but did not grab onto Jaden's arm like she wanted to. She wouldn't be the one to shatter their cover to the enemy merman. "What are you doing with the mirror? I thought you had been captured by the Queen!"

Alexis looked at her love with confusion. What the heck was he talking about? Wasn't this the same merman who had forced Jaden into a water duel not so long ago? Jaden caught her gaze and shook his head. Allian smiled—or rather tried to— at the young merman. "Welcome back Arty. But how...?"

Atrus' face darkened considerably. For a brief second, Jaden saw a flash of himself within his friend, the same suffering that he had been through in the Dark World. "Oh no... Atrus, who died?"

The three companions looked at Jaden in confusion. Atrus looked as if he had been back-slapped by Adria again. "How do you know?" his voice spoke weakly.

Jaden shuffled uncomfortably under Atrus' hollow gaze, "I know what it feels like to lose friends very well... and the look on your face reminded me of... myself."

Alexis felt dread grip her heart. She didn't want Jaden to have to lose yet another one of his friends. She still remembered that look on Jaden's face too. But her concern was not for this merman, she was still curious on why the heck Jaden and Allian trusted him. Allian seemed to see this and placed her hand on Alexis' shoulder. "All in good time human," she nodded.

The mirror shimmered a bit more and the other female mermaid who had kidnapped Alexis popped into view. Jaden could briefly make out sand in the background, so it seemed that the young mer-teens were hanging out in the human world now.

"Adria, what's going on?" Jaden demanded, his voice coming out harsher than he intended. "Where's Liz? Where's Serena? Where's—?"

The female turned her gaze away from him. His brown eyes widened and became blank. No it couldn't be. Not the little mermaid that had been so close to him. Not his "little sis". Not Liz. It couldn't be... what happened?!

"Liz and Serena are dead Jaden," Adria whispered. "Liz died... she died saving us and your school..."

"What are you talking about?" Allian commanded. Jaden seemed to have just shut down. His eyes lost their fire and his face abandoned emotion. Even as Allian watched, his aura shifted until white and gold dominated most of Jaden's blazing red spirit.

Adria gave her a brief description of events in a muted voice that was so unlike her. She told them about returning back to Nhime Village. She explained that they were not likely to be attacked by the Everlosts here due to the fact that Nick had stationed several lookouts around the village in case they tried to assault him while he was living there. Her voice cracked a bit when she said that and she was unable to continue.

Atrus took over, elucidating that they had moved the location of the mirror long before the Queen had captured them. They had given it to Melody for safe-keeping and had just retrieved it from her hiding place along the shoreline. Cathie and Mystic paid for the extra rooms at the hotel and for food. They were all set to last here for a few months if necessary.

Tears started to trail down his dirty, pale cheeks. He continued, saying that the Everlost Rebellion would be dead soon if they couldn't break them out of the Queen's prison. He told them of the Queen's threat to kill the rebels should the duet betray her. "That's how Serena died," Atrus said softly. "She thought that we weren't trying hard enough... so she just killed her..."

"We have to go," Jaden said suddenly. He sounded strange, very harsh and yet completely calm at the same time. "We have to get them out before it's too late."

_"Jay-den," chirped the younger Liz. Her soft lips were in that cheerful smile. "Can you teach me how to duel big bro?" _

_He nodded, sitting on the shoreline of Strath City. His mother had always loved staying near the ocean. Liz was plopped down right next to him. She turned so that her eyes met his. "Sure Sis," Jaden teased her, giving her his victory sign. She stuck out her tongue at him. _

_"Thanks Jay! You're the best!" she cheered, pulling a deck out of her cargo pants. "Daddy made this deck for me, but I don't have a clue how to use it!" _

_Jaden smiled and explained the game to her, making sure to return to the beach every night, even on school nights, to teach the young girl how to duel. _

_Liz pulled him into a wet hug one night and kissed his head. "You're awesome Jay-den! I'm glad you're the one who taught me to duel! I've had so much fun! Thank you so much agriello! I promise to use the cards you gave me every time I duel and I'll take real good care of them!" _

_"Agriello?" Jaden wondered, confused. He shifted his hands so he was lying back in the warm sand and staring up at her. _

_Liz gave him her dazzling little smile. "It means 'irreplaceable and beloved brother'. That's what you are to me Jay-den, you're my big brother and I love you agriello!" _

"What do you mean Jaden?" Adria asked from the other side of the crystal surface. "We can't just up and leave to fight her right now, there's only a few of us left and the Queen has most likely already heard about our betrayal at Duel Academy."

Jaden nodded fiercely, clenching his fists. "That's why this is a perfect time to strike."

Allian looked at his form curiously before understanding came into her intelligent eyes. "I see, you're saying that we should create a diversion. The Queen will most likely strike out at it because she will be keeping up her public image."

"What?" Alexis said. Her brain wasn't hardwired into the politics of war like the others. Jaden took pity on her and started to paint the image of it before her.

"It's like this Alexis, the Queen is new in her territory, and she needs the support of her citizens to continue with the war under her rule. So this betrayal and defeat by three of her 'own' warriors will affect her in a negative fashion, making the Everlosts less loyal and ready to jump to her side. So if plans of another strike from the Rebellion are overheard, she cannot hesitate to act unless she wants to anger her soldiers and her followers," he said, pacing back and forth as he did so.

Something clicked in her head when she finally understood what was going on. "So she'll send out her best and large numbers to stop this 'attack'. And she'll just meet a diversion which will quickly scatter and escape back into Evermore while another, smaller, party sneaks into the Everlost Castle while the guards are distracted and break out the Rebellion!"

The other rebels nodded and Jaden smiled at her, even if it wasn't real. "You're starting to sound like a rebel now Lex."

Allian nodded and held out a pale hand to her. "Welcome to the Rebellion Alexis Rhodes."

Alexis grasped the warm hand firmly and shook it. Allian nodded before turning back to Atrus and Adria. They agreed that this should happen as soon as possible to reduce fatalities and set the date for tomorrow at noon. Allian briefed Jaden quickly, reminding him to be careful to stay away from the Queen, before dashing off to wake up the other members of the Rebellion and alert them of the plan.

This left Jaden and Alexis alone, framed by the rising sun. The couple watched it for a while longer before Jaden shifted so that he was facing Alexis. He took out a small leather-bound book from the pocket of his jeans and handed it to her. "It's Lillian's journal. I grabbed it before we left," he said to her questioning appearance.

Alexis nodded, accepting the small gateway into Jaden's past before giving him one last reassuring hug. "Jaden, I'm so sorry about what happened..."

He broke out of her embrace and started to walk down the spiraling tunnel. "I don't want to talk about it Lex..."

They walked down the seemingly endless stairs in an awkward silence for a few more seconds before Alexis decided to try again. "Jaden... shouldn't you guys slow down and think about this carefully? You shouldn't rush yourself."

"I know Alexis..."

His heart gave another painful throb. _I can't believe they're gone. They were like family to me. They all were... _

His fist made contact with the stone wall next to him. Both he and Alexis froze at the sudden moment of Déjà vu as they were both jolted into the Dark World once again.

_"Jaden," Axel demanded, closing the door of the underground tunnel slowly. "What do you intend to do?" _

_Jaden kept walking down the brightly lit tunnel and replied, "I've decided already... I'm going to the detention camp." _

_Axel and Alexis paused and watched him walking away. "Think about it again carefully," Axel advised him. "Don't make decisions so quickly." _

_Jaden's footsteps halted and Alexis and Axel decided to approach him. "Freed told us not to go right now," Alexis reminded him. "According to him the villagers might be in trouble if we go out now." _

_"And another thing is no one can prove this person is Jesse... you need more information first," Axel added. _

_"Jaden don't rush out," Alexis pleaded him. _

_"I know," he replied, facing down. Then his fist slammed against the wall of the tunnel. _

They both looked back at each other, knowing fully what had happened next. "That won't happen again," Jaden insisted. "I won't make the same mistake twice."

"I know," Alexis nodded towards him. "I have faith in you Jaden. Just be careful, alright?"

* * *

Alexis snuck back into her room carefully, praying that the door wouldn't squeak. Melody shifted a bit in her sleep at her entrance, but did not awaken. With a slight sigh, our heroine slipped back under her covers, but did not return to her slumber. Instead she opened up the unmarked journal to the first page which had a spirally handwriting scrawled across it. 

"**L**isten close, heed this warning

**I**nside is something you should never read unless

**L**ove is your guide .

**L**isten close unless you hold his heart .

**I** warn you now that in life or in death

**A**ngels shall only pass

**N**o one else shall be spared my spirit's wrath .

**L**et your heart be pure .

**E**xhale all evil thoughts .

**S**tay within the gentle darkness ,

**S**tray far not .

**I**lluminate his sorrow .

**N**ever let his hand go .

**H**old on tight to his love .

**O**nly hate what brings him down .

**P**rotect him with your life for he will protect you. If you cannot accept the terms, then do not continue."

Alexis swept away stray strands of her blonde hair and slowly turned the page and fell into Jaden's past.

* * *

Jaden shifted his position so he had his back to the door, something he did not normally do. His eyes were focused inward, pondering over the fate of Serena and Liz Delane. Just thinking about the two sent shards of ice into his chest and raised his stress until it was close to breaking down. 

He had been physically and mentally exhausted ever since his return from the Dark World, but he had chosen not to show it. Now however, it seemed the many sleepless nights were catching up to him. His eyelids closed heavily over the brown irises, but they did not stop seeing. Images of Liz and Serena playing with him back when he had been stuck in Everlost came flooding to his overheated mind, but still the sorrow did not come. Only rage boiled below the surface.

He was doing the right thing, wasn't he?

**_What do you believe? _**Haou wondered idly. **_Do you enjoy watching things playing out from the sidelines or do you think that you should be in the fray, fighting to defend what you love? _**

_I think... I should be in the fray. I wouldn't forgive myself if I lost someone else because I wasn't there, _Jaden thought fiercely.

**_Then there within lies your answer. _**

_Why do you want me to go into Everlost Haou? How will you benefit? _

**_Do you honestly think that I would tell you something like that even if it existed? _**

_No, you've got a good point. _

Jaden sighed and snuggled deeper within his small haven. He needed rest if he was going to go fight and talking with Haou definitely wasn't going to help. He searched for solace deep within the confines of his mind and eventually drifted off into what he hoped would be a peaceful sleep.

"Jaden!"

"Mmphh," Jaden muttered, rolling over to his other side.

"Time to wake up!"

Something grabbed a few of his white, gold, and red feathers and ripped them out of his wings. He jumped awake and tumbled to the ground with a loud THUD!

"I'm up! I'm up already!" Jaden complained, rubbing his head while staring up at Jesse's emerald eyes. He smirked at Jaden and offered a confident hand. Jaden accepted it and allowed his friend to pull him up. He stretched out his limbs, feeling a bit better than before... which put him under the category "drained" instead of "exhausted".

Jesse laughed good-naturedly. "We've been trying to wake you up for ten minutes! I guess some things never change, huh Jay?"

Jaden blinked a few times, banishing the shadows from his vision before noticing everyone else in the room. Chazz was the one standing with a handful of his unique feathers in his hands while Syrus was looking at the ebony-haired duelist with disdain. Jaden sharply extended his right wing so that it smacked Chazz around the midriff. He fell backwards with a surprisingly high-pitched screech before bolting upright again.

"Slacker!" he snarled, foaming at the mouth. Jaden stuck out his tongue at him before folding up his wings neatly behind his back. The rest of his friends giggled nervously, Alexis gave him a small wink. He couldn't help but blushed a bit from her silent greeting.

"Some things don't," he agreed, sitting up before giving Chazz his trademark smile. It was missing a few teeth, but only Alexis and Melody noticed. _Melody!_ Her name sent a pang of sorrow through him again when he realized she also had known the energetic young mermaid and her calm mother. Melody knew Serena better than he did even, she had been learning from the Everlosts while he was in Evermore. How was he going to tell her?

"Strange how things just worked out. We came in here to ask you about the things that _have_ changed between us," Zane said, putting his purpose out in the open quickly.

"Like what?" Jaden asked, tilting his head to the side. His chocolate gaze fell on Pegasus curiously. The older man tipped his head towards Jaden subtly.

"We were wondering what happened between you and your cousin before we were brought here. What made you use Haou's powers?" Jim demanded. He had always been protective of Jaden whenever his Dark Side was mentioned. It appeared that this was no different no matter what world they were in or what secrets Jaden kept from him.

"Nick..." Jaden's voice trailed off. He frowned, trying to put his thoughts into coherent statements. "Like I said before, Nick's bad, he's like Haou in ways, except more powerful."

**_Without me using our powers anyway,_** Haou added mentally.

_Yeah, but we can't go and tell them that now can we? _

The group shuddered when they heard Haou's name uttered _and_ when their brains processed they were going to face another being like the Supreme King. Jim and Axel unconsciously tensed, reliving the terrible period where Jaden had lost himself to the darkness.

"He somehow got himself mixed up with the Overlord and has been working against us since then," Jaden concluded. "He threatened to ki—hurt—you guys back in Nhime, so I didn't have a choice whether or not to use Haou unless I wanted you to get hurt again."

"Why didn't you tell us this last time?" Axel demanded, narrowing his eyes at the brunette in a protective way.

Jaden met his eyes steadily, finally telling the truth. "Because I didn't want to freak you guys out any more than you already were. Knowing all of this contains many dangers. The more you know, the more often you will be targeted for information. The less you know, the safer you are. That's how it has always worked here."

"So you're telling us that there are still things that we don't know," Zane input wryly.

"Yes," Jaden bluntly answered. "But they are more personal issues than anything that would cause you to be in any danger."

"How do you expect us to trust you if we know you aren't telling us the entire truth?" Bastion demanded in his British accent. He didn't seem to be very mad, just more curious.

"I don't," Jaden whispered. "I don't expect you guys to forgive me for keeping this from you and I can't ask that you trust someone who would so willingly lie to you."

Melody and Pegasus exchanged a heated glance, wondering what they should do. Melody turned away from the older man and then took a step forward, extending her tan hand to her cousin. "I don't know how much this counts for since I already knew more than the others did, but I didn't know of our inheritance. So I _can_ forgive you for lying and I _do_ Jaden. It doesn't matter what you haven't said. I trust you completely," Melody declared.

Jaden allowed his eyes to soften slightly when he gazed at his smaller cousin. She smiled brightly when he stacked his hand on hers. Another pale hand found its way on the pile. Jaden looked up into Jesse's emerald eyes, surprised.

"You searched through another dimension to save me Jaden, I'm not going to leave you," Jesse promised with a smile. Ruby popped onto his shoulder and mewled at Jaden faithfully. More weight was added to the pile as Syrus placed his hand in.

"You're my best friend Jaden. Friends forgive each other and this is no exception."

That statement brought out a small smile from the depressed brunette. The tan hands of Hassleberry and Axel were placed next, followed by Jim, Atticus, and Chazz, preceded by Pegasus and Bastion, which caused Zane and Aster to join in, which left Alexis. Jaden knew already that she was on his side, but the others didn't. She placed her sleek hand on top of the pile and locked her eyes on him.

"Don't make me regret my choice Jaden," she sternly told him. "I want to trust you, I truly do. Just don't disappoint us."

For his part, he simply nodded to his secret love before breaking from the comfort of those hands filled with warmth.

* * *

Wide pink eyes gazed back at him, raining salty tears down to the parched meadow floor. The same hand that had saved him with his friends was hovering over her open mouth in horror. Her red shirt looked as if it had been drenched within Learik Lake and her other hand was pulling on her khaki shorts tightly as if anchoring herself to this world. 

"Liz... Serena?" her voice shook. "They're... dead?"

Jaden nodded, unable to locate his voice from within his throat. His tears had yet to come, he still felt emotionally empty. His peppy cousin, on the other hand, was an emotional wreck. She latched herself onto his black T-shirt wordlessly and commenced to sob into his chest. He stroked her hair like he always did to Alexis and as he had done back in the hotel room in Nhime when she had broken down.

"But why?" she mumbled from his comforting embrace. "I don't understand Jaden. Why did the Queen use them? I don't... I don't want this! I don't want them dead!"

She wormed farther into his arms and started to sob her heart out. "This is just too much! My own brother is lost to darkness, our friends are dying left and right, we have another villain to face on top of Nick...! It's just not right! Why-HOW-could things have worked out this way?!"

Jaden shushed his younger cousin gently, pulling her back so she could look into his eyes. "Mels, listen. Things don't always turn out the way we hoped they would, but it will get better."

"W-why Jaden? W-w-why do you still have so much f-f-faith? You've l-l-lost more than I-I e-ever have..."

She snuffled for a while longer as Jaden did his best to comfort the young teen in his arms. But her words confused him. Why couldn't he feel the pain of losing his friends? Why was he just feeling so numb?

After about an hour, she seemed to be doing well enough to rejoin the main group, who were getting ready to walk outside and attempt to learn how to defend themselves without a duel disk. Jaden walked stiffly ahead of them, leading them to the bottom of the canyon on the stone paths naturally cut into the cliff and appeared to be lost within his own inner musing once again. He could feel heated stares hitting him in the back of the neck, but didn't bother to confront whoever was doing this. They would make themselves known soon enough.

"Slacker," Chazz said right on cue. Jaden didn't turn back; he just kept putting on foot in front of the other. "Or should I say _Overlord._"

Tri-colored wings bristled, but the boy kept moving forward. "Call me Jaden."

"As you wish, Your Highness," Chazz sneered. Jaden's body stayed relaxed, calming Alexis when she knew he wasn't in danger.

"_Don't _call me that." It really didn't sound offended or indignant; it just sounded more like a command. Alexis understood that this was part of her Jaden, the part of him that was nearly impossible to get mad for his own defense, which could protect him from Chazz's harsh words.

"Why not? I guess Haou wasn't really that off. Doesn't that mean 'Supreme King'? So how many people did you kill? How many more will you kill to stop this war?" Chazz continued.

Silence. The entire group was stunned. Jaden had stopped walking and slowly turned back to Chazz, his eyes unreadable. His body language suggested something ominous was about to happen, but the raven-haired duelist was oblivious.

"What's stuck up your ass Princeton?" Jaden snarled. "If you've got a point, make it."

Chazz simply smirked at Jaden's warning while the others gasped. Chazz had obviously gotten Jaden pissed, which wasn't the brightest (or easiest as Alexis pointed out) thing to do. "My point, _Your Highness,_ is that your 'Rebellion' is a failing attempt at peace. All you're doing is killing innocent people with your silly battles. These people are ridiculous."

Bad move on Chazz's part. Gold eyes were suddenly locked on his onyx irises. The Guardian was now inches from his pale face and wore an expression of complete rage. Before anyone could comprehend what was about to happen, Chazz had been whisked into the air on wings.

"Ack! Put me down Slacker!" Chazz cried, scared beyond reasoning. He watched as the ground zipped past him faster to follow and the air buffeted his body, only seeing the eyes of Haou through Jaden.

"Why should I Princeton?" Jaden hissed, seemingly unaffected by the NASCAR speeds they were traveling at. The wild winds buffeted his hair, making him appear demonic. "You need to learn respect. You have no fucking idea how bad things are. You have no right to judge us for doing what's right. I could care less that you insulted me... but insulting everyone else was a grave mistake on your part."

Jaden gave Chazz a rough shake in midair, causing the teen to screech into the azure skies. His panicking eyes took in a rapidly approaching blotch of green and a flurry of leaves. His kidnapper veered to the left as soon as the large green mass was below them and started losing altitude, heading for what looked like a small city within the trees.

"Where are you taking me Haou?!"

Jaden didn't take his eyes off the city. "Living Hell."

The unlikely pair landed gracefully on the worn forest floor. Chazz pried himself out of Jaden's arms and started to bolt before his mind registered what his eyes were seeing.

Instead of what had appeared to be white buildings from that freaky height, they were standing the center of an endless column of white squares. Roses and other strange flowers adorned the small objects, giving the rich teen a hint as to what they were.

'Haou' stared down Chazz coldly. "Welcome to hell."

Sobbing reached Chazz's sensitive ears, and they were soon followed by equal measures of depressed wails and soft voices. The young Princeton whipped around, only seeing seemingly hundred of mythological creatures in morning. They were placing flowers on the white structures, crying over them, tracing the words with their fingers, softly calling names.

Then it hit him. His eyes widened as he took in the vast number _tombstones_ around him, crushing him down back to the earth. Those gold eyes weren't looking at him anymore; they were focused on the grave in front of them. The name Lillian Lessinhop was visible behind a mass of flowers. Chazz read the dates carefully and swallowed a lump in his throat. She was only thirteen years old when she died.

"All of these lives were taken by the Overlord in the past ten years. Can you count all of these graves? They don't even reach a quarter of what he has done. These don't include the rotting corpses left in various cities. These don't begin to cover the soldiers lost in war. These don't involve the various missing people who have actually been murdered for even speaking with a rebel or an Evermore. These don't include the people who die everyday in the castle because they do not approve of what the Overlord thinks. That's billions of lives in the past ten years Chazz. I've been fighting to save those lives. What have you done?"

Jaden returned Chazz to the panic-stricken group calmly and evenly, not answering any questions thrown at him. He sat down on a boulder and laced his fingers behind his head, leaning against the canyon wall.

Chazz did not respond to their pleas for knowledge either, he had his hand on his chin and his eyes were thoughtful. He finally replied sharply after a few minutes of interrogation that, no, Jaden did not hurt him and no, he was not brainwashed by Haou into being silent. He curtly added that "The Chazz" is too strong to be brainwashed anyway.

Hassleberry rolled his eyes. "Just like you were too strong to fall for the Society of Light, huh Chazzy?"

"Yes—I mean—no... Aaaggghhh! Shut up dino-breath!" Chazz snapped, holding his head in his hands. He grumbled for being interrupted from reflecting back to the other places that Jaden had shown him quickly, fully understanding the Rebellion's predicament now. He also had gotten the answer to one of his questions, what would happen if Jaden was angered. It was Chazz's own unique way of testing whether or not Haou was controlling the brunette or not, and he had gotten his answer. Jaden did not lash out at him; he simply helped Chazz to understand everything that was happening to the citizens as a result of this war. Had it been Haou, he would most likely have been dropped off a cliff.

_The silent pair, one angry, the other humbled, touched down in the center of a bustling city, full of noise and people running around as if their lives were in danger. _

_"Guardian! Guardian, you must save us!" one person called out to Jaden, who turned deaf ears to the old winged woman. The brunette's still gold eyes were focused on a small group of people approaching him and Chazz. _

_Dozens of people were staring at him (Chazz), or rather, staring through him. Their eyes had a slightly misted look to them and their clothes were ragged and torn. His feet cemented themselves to the grass when a young man, around thirty with translucent wasp-like wings, approached him. _

_"Have you seen my daughter? Please, help me find my daughter! She's only twelve years old! Please sir!" the man begged, his hands reaching towards Chazz. Said person backed away with fright in his eyes. "Please, Hunter is still here! Please, help me save her! PLEASE! The Overlord is too strong to take on alone! PLEASE!!" _

_His hands, instead of grasping Chazz's normal black trench coat, passed through Chazz's body as if he wasn't there. Chazz felt like he had been doused in icy water as the man's shaking fists passed through him and then the man himself. _

_"He's not real Chazz," Jaden whispered. His eyes were normal again, but he was still unreadable. "His name was Evan Russlehart, he used to be a wealthy politician that did not oppose the Overlord, but was fascinated by the Mermaids. Then he fell victim to the Overlord's best, the hunter, who was sent to exterminate 'the entire wild'. Evan was killed and the Overlord forced his—along with countless other's—spirit to stay behind and relive this horrible crime over and over and over again..." _

_Chazz was dumbstruck as his widened gaze followed the lumbering man, who suddenly fell to his knees and clutched his neck were two blood-red holes were located. _

_"Killed by the Overlord's claws." _

_The man's body collapsed to the floor and did not stir again. The others ran around silently, their faces contorted with fear. _

_"The daughter?" Chazz managed to rasp out. Jaden turned and pointed up at a large building that looked like a church. Dangling from the archway was a young child with flaming red hair and translucent fairy wings. Her pale hands were chained to each side of the cross that was adorned atop the structure and her legs were left to hang in the open air. Jaden turned away from the girl's corpse. _

_"Aven magic affected her. The Overlord liked to leave some corpses that... have value to him. That would affect others in a negative way and prove that he is superior. Her body can't dissolve and her spirit is trapped behind." _

_"Why did he leave her behind?" Chazz whispered, his voice stuck in his throat. He noticed the dead look in Jaden's eyes as well. _

_"She looks like someone I once loved," he whispered. Yes, the girl did bear a strong resemblance to Lillian Lessinhop. Her figure was slim and lanky, her hair looked as if it once held the luster and shine of fire and if you looked into her blank face, you could see smile lines at the edges of her eyes. Her skin had once been more golden instead of deathly white and her wings used to glow. But not anymore. Now this young girl had to suffer for eternity just because she looked like someone that was precious to the Guardian. _

_Chazz felt shock course through his body. He didn't consider Jaden to be the type of guy that knew about love before Alexis. But the look in his eyes told him different. "She's beautiful," Chazz said awkwardly. The girl was in a haunting way. _

_Jaden simply nodded, "And she was a true rebel and friend until the day she died." _

_No one said anything else. The rest of the trip back was spent in silence. _

"Come on, we had better get down their before Allian drags us down," Atticus pointed out, keeping an eyes on the small speck of white below them. Jaden and the others responded by walking briskly down the rest of the way, speaking of nothing.

* * *

The Overlord sat in his throne idly, twirling something between his fingers. Twenty pairs of eyes were fixed on the object, trying to decipher what it was. In front of them on the marble table was a large map of their region in Evermore, an eighth of it covered in a dangerous forest. Several pawns were scattered across the map in seemingly random places, but no one dared to point that out to his Highness. 

Nick Yuki finally stood, earning bows from his twenty servants. He waved them back down and stood at the very end of the table with Christopher Lessinhop on his right and Evan Courter on his left. Those hard violet eyes searched through them all silently before the Overlord spoke in his enchanting voice.

"As you all know, tomorrow we will leave to finally search for, and destroy, the Rebellion once and for all," he hypnotically reviewed, twirling the object between his fingers faster. "My faithful dragon has searched for the scum and their so called protector, the Guardian, across the entire kingdom and wild. She came back with almost empty claws. She had only one thing left to give me."

The rest of the group leaned in curiously, especially our rebel spy. Nick seemed to be in no rush to answer his statement; he continued to swirl around that item in his hands. Finally, he drew back his tapered hand quickly and threw the item into the center of the map where it cut into the map marked Wilderness. They all focused on the white, gold, and red feather quivering in their midst.

"The Guardian," Evan whispered, his black eyes flashing. Chris felt chills sweep through the room as the elemental grew restless.

Nick nodded curtly. "It was discovered near the cliffs, which leaves us only thirty square miles to cover instead of thousands. Our only problem is passing the Millennia Forest. The curse is still in effect since those low-life rebels cast it all of those years ago. We can not cross it in the air unless we are considered part of the wild, which is why my dear dragon mistress could cross it. Now we cannot because we do not go against myself to the extreme nor are we beasts of the sky. We need to cross the forest, which is full of rebels and wild animals, so it will be dangerous. This is why I have set up this battle plan for you all to grasp."

Nick finally addressed the scattered map, gesturing to the pawn located at various locations. "These men will all meet up with our own members leaving directly from the castle to avoid causing too much suspicion from the rebel spies within my Kingdom. They would suspect something if I marched you all into the forest at once all the way from my throne. No, we will meet up with the other guards at these cities."

Chris bit his lip, frowning. He could never quite grasp how someone so young could create such flawless plans and analyzed every little detail so that he was two steps ahead of everyone else. He felt Nick's cold gaze on him and broke out of his thought process.

"Questions Lessinhop?"

Chris bowed his head to Nick obediently. "No sir, I was just wondering if the feather is new or if it was just blowing around in the breeze for a while until your dragon found it."

Nick showed Chris his best vampire smile. "I can assure, Christopher, that I can tell when it comes to matters dealing with my cousin. This feather is new and was found in the right place. The end of the Rebellion is near my faithful friends. Darkness is rising."

Cheers bounced off the large marble walls and out the open window while Chris allowed his mind's eye to wander. He had tried to lead the Overlord off of the Rebellion's path for the past ten years; he knew this would happen eventually. This breakout needed to be successful if he was going to save his friends before it was too late. Too much rode on this for him to fail. The fate of the Rebellion was in his hands... just like it had been in his parent's all of those years ago...

_"Daddy!" Lillian chirped, bouncing on her father's knee. Chris occupied the other. "Tell us about your spell again!" _

_Kyle Lessinhop tugged at the small wiry red beard that grew on his face and looked off into the distance with his gray eyes. "I remember it well my children. It was a day not unlike this very one..." _

_Several black dots sped towards the green sea of leaves brushing beneath their feet. _

_"Quickly now!" Molly Lessinhop shouted, her wings beating quickly. "The Overlord is approaching!" _

_"Elaine!" cried Gravelon loudly. "Elaine Pronscea! Start the enchantment, now!" _

_Elaine, the beautiful seven-hundred-year-old angel was staring teary eyed at one of the small dots on the horizon. "I'm sorry my daughter, please see the truth Allian, please!" _

_Her red eyes looked back at her hundred companions and held out her hands. They all linked together, transferring their energy into the brunette angel. Her body glowed in a soft light as her lips moved into words of the graceful, joyous angel language. Very few could understand her, only her husband and another old couple of fallen angels, but everyone got the meaning. They were safe as soon as she was finished. _

_Kyle felt a sharp tug in his chest as more and more energy was drawn from his core, willing the spell to last for all eternity. Molly's eyes had closed next to him while Gravelon was praying. He finally felt the last bit of his magic drain from his body and the figures came to an abrupt halt at the other end of the forest. They prowled the edge, trying to find a way through the magical barrier. _

_"Elaine, that was brilliant!" Kyle exclaimed, hugging Molly romantically. Elaine smiled softly at him before collapsing into her husband's arms. _

_Brian laughed tiredly. "She's just exhausted; she'll be fine by tomorrow." _

_The others smiled and celebrated with each other as the Overlord's army slowly started to return back to their kingdom. Finally, there was only one figure left floating there. Elaine opened her eyes in time to see her daughter flip her the bird before she flew back to 'her' Overlord. Why did something so pure have to fall for something like love? _

_"What happened to Elaine and Allian Daddy?" Chris pondered, cuddling into his father's arms. _

_"Elaine left to live in the forest with her husband. She wanted to guard over her children of the Rebellion and hoped that she would one day come across her daughter within her leafy home. Allian eventually saw the error of her ways and returned to the Rebellion, and she is still leading us and keeping us alive," Kyle smiled. "I don't know where we'd be if it wasn't for that angel. I sure do know that I'm glad she's on our side for good." _

Chris shifted agitatedly in his seat before standing up to join in with the other men. He slowly exited the throne after them, never taking his eyes off of his friend's feather in the heart of the Rebellion.

* * *

**A SMALL GLIMPSE INTO ALLIAN'S PAST AGAIN. n.n**

**I GAVE YOU GUYS A HINT FOR THE ENDING! YAY ME! AND IT'S NOT WHAT YOU THINK IT IS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!**

**(EVIL CACKLING IN THE BACKGROUND)**

**CHECK OUT PREVIEWS ON MY ACCOUNT!**


	23. Prisonbreak Part 1

**I'M SOOOOOOOOOOOOOO SORRY FOR NOT UPDATING IN AGES! I'VE JUST BEEN REALLY BUSY AND--(BABBLES ON)**

**BUT THIS CHAPTER IS SO LONG THAT I HAVE TO GIVE IT IN TWO PARTS AGAIN! O.O**

**SORRY...**

**DID YOU GUYS SEE GX 162? FINALLY! NOW WE ALL KNOW ALEXIS HAS FEELINGS FOR JADEN!!! YEAHNESS!**

**ANYWHO... ON WITH THE STORY!**

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**Chapter... what is it now? **

**Chapter 21 part 1 **

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**_(Jaden's POV) _**

_The grand piece of pure crystal rose from the healthy grass beneath my bare feet. The sun reflected off of the shimmering surface and cast an eerie glow upon the grand courtyard. There was not a living soul other than my own residing in this celestial wonderland. All was quiet, all was peaceful. _

_I suddenly felt the urge to approach the massive monument and my feet carried me there effortlessly, my wings brushing barely against the ground. When I neared the structure, I marveled at the craftsmanship it took to construct something like this and noticed how the light seemed to focus on certain angles, almost forming letters. My calm eyes scanned over the spiraling engraftments carefully, trying to decipher the message. _

_"Have you figured it out yet cousin?" _

_The peaceful aura that had once engulfed this small piece of heaven shattered. I felt myself become tensed and more prone to attack as I slowly pivoted to face the source of the destruction. Sure enough, it was him. _

_"Come on Jaden, you're smarter than that. Or at least I would hope so, what's the worth of capturing a complete imbecile?" Nick smirked without a care, walking up to the diamond and placing a tapered hand over the letters. I made sure to circle over to his other side while his attention was focused on the pillar of retained light. _

_"It's your father Jaden," he leered. "Or at least it was until I was finished with him." _

_I felt what small amounts of peace that remained in me vanish. My eyes quickly scanned the writing and were able to decipher the name Overlord Charles Yuki. For the first time, I saw a lone feather trapped within the crystal. It was a deep crimson and seemed so out of place inside the glamour. _

_"It's actually the monument to all of the fallen Overlords if you want to put it in technical terms. But that's still all that's left of him, I didn't feel like persevering his body, I let him go," Nick drawled on, seemingly bored. "It was a shame really; I was expecting more of a challenge from the feared Overlord. All I had to do was stroll right into his rooms after taking care of his little guards. He didn't even see me come in. He was staring down at this very courtyard, right at the place where you stand. All I had to do was run him through with this sword..." _

_I was visibly shaking now with pure rage and my vision was red. "He wasn't weak Nick. You're a coward for not fighting him face-to-face. What did you tell your faithful subjects, that you murdered him in a fair fight?" _

_He laughed cruelly, enjoying my anger. "They praised me as a god for being able to do what I did. Fair fights have no place in an Empire Jaden. I thought you of all people would have learned that by now... or do I have to take away someone else to prove it?" _

_It was my turn to smirk now. "You'll have to find us first." _

_Nick didn't seem phased. "All in good time, all in good time. Not be cliché... you can run, but you can't hide. Not anymore." He laughed an evil, spine-tingling, teeth chattering, hair-raising chuckle before a walking slowly away. I trailed him warily, knowing that he could not harm me in my dream, but still cautious of what he could do. We came to a halt at the balcony overlooking the Grand Hall of the castle. I felt my eyes narrow as I took in an army of about 300 various creatures. Although that number was small, so was the Rebellion. A blow like this could wipe us out, but they couldn't find us in the wild over the Wayside (they call it Millennia for some reason) Forest. They haven't for all eternity, so why would they succeed now? _

_"The time of the Rebellion is over. And its fall will start with your defeat," Nick whispered into my ear quietly, waving his troops foreword. They all swarmed onto me, a mass of glinting steel and venomous talons... _

I bolted straight upright in my soft bed, staring straight into the dark underground gloom. Shivering, I pulled my knees into my chest silently, focusing on watching the others sleep. This was not good. Nick was coming, and he had an entire army behind him.

I paused from my panicked running in front of Alexis' door. Should I tell her first? I did promise her to stop keeping secrets...

Compromising, I swiftly cracked open the door and peaked carefully into the girl's room, ready to snap my eyes closed at a moment's notice. After a brief second of silence, I chanced opening my eyes to look around. The soft glow of the torches outside spread into the dark room: over the faces of my slumbering loved ones. Alexis had the most serene look on her usual determined and a bit cold face. I couldn't help but smile softly at my angel lost deep in her land of dreams. _I'll tell her in the morning..._

When I slowly closed the door, I heard her whisper a slumber filled name. "Jaden..." she murmured tenderly. I wondered absently what she was dreaming about before walking down to the end of the hallway, the weight of this world hanging on my shoulders.

**_(Alexis' POV) _**

_I held the soft and caring hand of Jaden Yuki happily. We were just walking, nothing special. He was captivating me with his charming voice and his tales of the past weaved their way around my heart gently, only adding to my feelings for the boy. We halted and brushed lips gently before gazing into one another's glittering irises. _

_"Do you want to see what it's supposed to be like?" Jaden asked me carefully. "What the worlds are supposed to look like?" _

_I smiled warmly and gripped his hand harder. He took that as a yes and started walking with me again. This time, we appeared in an endless meadow of endless colors, all seemingly flowing into one another. Young children and their parents played childishly and freely, waving at the two new guests. They bowed towards us respectfully before continuing with their games. Jaden smiled and we kept walking while the scene shifted again. This time we manifested in the desert world, were several Duel Monsters were chatting away in their own unique language. They waved half-heartedly at us before starting a small scuffle with each other. I laughed at their antics as Harpy Lady chased away a large scorpion and continued on with Jaden by my side. _

_We did plenty of talking, and Jaden did have a few appearance changes, but for the most part he stayed the same. I protected him from any of the harsh personality changes he would normally have to face and he shielded me from the more bitter elements of the worlds. My favorite one appeared to be the Arctic with tropical weather, the Northern lights wavering above our heads as the Duel monsters danced around in the sky or in the ice. Here Jaden stopped and pointed up at the top of a snow-covered mountain. At the summit stood Allian and Darkal, looking down at them with smiles on their faces. A small child with black angel wings was held in Darkal's arms. They mouthed the words, "Thank you" before everything faded away and I fell into a deep, dreamless sleep. _

**_(AN: AWWWW!) _**

**_(End POV) _**

* * *

"This could complicate things," Allian muttered, staring intently at Jaden through her fingertips.

"That's just about the biggest understatement in history Allian," Darkal sighed sardonically. He was also observing the young teen wryly, and said teen was becoming uncomfortable. Jaden fidgeted with his hands absently while the loudest silence he had ever heard screamed into his ears.

"What should we do?" he whispered quietly. The leader of the Rebellion and her General snapped their heads onto him. They exchanged words silently for a few seconds, never breaking eye-contact, before answering his question.

"We're going to have to continue with our mission, it's too late to call it off now," Allian answered. Darkal stepped in for the next go.

"Even if the could somehow manage to round up that amount of Evermores, they will be hindered by the Wayside Forest. It will slow them down long enough for us to return safely, plus we always have to consider Elaine's and Brian's traps. They have the forest full of them, remember? We have plenty of time to disappear even with you and a few others running the mission."

"Why would he show me that though, wouldn't he want secrecy?"

Allian answered before Darkal could this time. "He wants to cause fear and chaos in our ranks Jaden. Think about it, if you knew that you were facing down an army more than twice of our own size, would you keep a level head?"

Jaden shivered at the sudden naming of an overpowering army against an unsuspecting and vulnerable innocent party...

_Flames engulfed everything charring and destroying the shambles of the South Village. He watched with heartless eyes as his army tore apart the small resistance of the town with a cruel smirk on his face. Inferno Wing was hovering above the melting stone and rivers of molten rock, shrieking her laughter, gloating over the disappearing villagers. Several people tried to run, only to be stopped by a wave of blue fire or a blast of dark energy. _

"No," the former Supreme King quietly replied.

Allian softened her face when she noticed what she just must have made him reflect on. "Sorry Jaden."

"It's fine," he muttered. Allian still looked put-out by his lack of enthusiasm, causing Darkal to sigh heavily and place his hand on her shoulder.

"He'll be alright bird-brain," the fallen angel chided her. "He's Jaden Yuki."

Allian shot him a hot glare that made him back off with a bantering air about him. Their angel leader ran her hand across the stone walls surrounding the main room and basked in the moonlight briefly before continuing her thought process. "Even with our small numbers, 300 soldiers won't be much of a problem. My parents will root out numerous amounts of them in the forest and Niemona will turn on Nick eventually, all but annihilating his 'army'."

"Are you sure?" Jaden wondered. He started wringing his hands again absently, his chocolate gaze focused on the floor. Darkal and Allian exchanged worried looks at the normally happy-go-lucky and energetic brunette.

"Jaden, you're playing with your hands, you only do that when something's wrong," Darkal informed him. "Spill."

"It's just... in my dream... I met Nick at my father's memorial... I just don't understand how Nick could be like that. Before all of this nonsense started, we used to be friends... I can't believe that it's coming down to this... to war," Jaden sadly admitted. "And its hurting Melody too. I just don't know if I could actually hurt him myself. I hate him but not enough to—"

"Jaden," Allian sharply cut him off. "Nick will try and twist you in any way he can, showing you your father's grave is only proof of that. He means to mislead you Jaden, and I don't want to see you get hurt again. Here's some advice Darkal told me when I... came back. He said, 'You can do nothing about your condition, and you'll only make yourself feel worse. Live in the present, remember the past, and fear not the future, for it doesn't exist and never shall. There is only now'."

**(AN: Not my quote, thank Christopher Paolini. HA! NOW YOU CAN'T SUE ME CRAZY LAWYERS!) **

Jaden looked up at the fallen angel in surprise. Darkal was never deep like that or gave advice other than to follow your heart. What was this about? Darkal held his gaze steadily, ignoring his questioning thoughts.

"You should rest now Jaden," the man curtly replied. "You'll need it."

Allian nodded in agreement before standing up and leaving for her room. Jaden and Darkal glanced at the other for a small amount of time before leaving the main room and heading back towards their rooms. "Darkal?" Jaden finally asked. "That didn't seem like you, that quote I mean."

The elder man shrugged validating Jaden's point. "She was a wreck back then, I had to say something."

"But _that?_" Jaden continued. "That wouldn't be something I'd expect to come from you."

"It's like what you do to your friends Jaden," Darkal sharply inserted, obviously tiring of the subject.

"What do you mean?" the teen suspiciously asked. He had a sneaky feeling that he had just been insulted.

"You can lie to them, deceive them daily, even _tell_ them that you will, and yet you somehow manage to get them to trust you," Darkal sighed. "It's that same force that makes your friends believe in you that drove me to say that to Allian. Normally I would hold a grudge, my kind does not normally forgive that easily, but there's something different about Allian that made me stop. I trusted her enough to open up to her and tell her what I felt at the time. I see her as a dark angel. Think about it this way: She is the only angel to fall and remain pure."

Jaden was stunned. That was the longest period of time he had ever heard Darkal talk, and about his feelings none-the-less. He gave the man a queer look before adding, "You angel types are sure different."

Darkal smiled at that and ruffled Jaden's hair. With that he stepped into his room and Jaden departed to his own, finally earning some well-deserved sleep.

* * *

Jaden stood on the Shore of Learik Lake, letting his bare feet brush against the cool rippling water, trying to get used to his winged reflection. His lips still tingled in the afternoon air and with Alexis' good-bye kiss. His fingers moved almost unconsciously onto his lips when he thought of her and he smiled. Their secret meeting had put her troubled mind to rest and lifted him from his veil of darkness once again.

_"I'll keep an eye on you," Alexis teased, pointing to her head childishly. Jaden couldn't help but let a few laughs escape his lips. She never failed to cheer him up. _

True, she would be able to talk with him when he entered the Queen's castle if she wanted to; he was in plenty of danger so their link would work. Tracing circles in the sand with his feet, he slowly stretched his wings out wide as his guard readied themselves for their brief journey under the sea. They could not stay with him, it was too risky for them for if they were caught, and they would eventually drown, unlike Jaden. So the small numbers of rebels were simply there to ensure him a safe passage to the remaining Everlost resistance.

"Are you ready Guardian?" a pixie called Lucian pensively wondered.

"My name's _Jaden,_" he snapped at the pixie. This creature was one of the more bitter members of the Rebellion, only here because of his hatred of the Overlord. He and Jaden had not been on the best of terms since their initial acquaintance.

"That is your human name," Lucian replied without batting an eyelash. "Guardian is your true name, your true self."

The rest of the guard winced in sympathy for their young accomplice, being told that _that_ was his true nature was very offensive. Jaden did send a glare at the bitter man, but ignored it. He was a rebel after all; they were on the same side. There was no need to punch an ally's lights out...

**_Unless they're a traitorous backstabber, _**Haou added. It was obvious that he was in a _great_ mood today.

_Whoop-de-doo. I've got an elated evil megalomaniac in my head today. What's got you in a good mood? _

**_The same thing that's got you in a bad mood of course. I'm you're flip side, remember? You do know that means opposite, right fool? _**

_I know what it means! _Jaden snapped, taking out his frustration on... technically himself. Which Haou pointed out... several times.

Jaden moaned in annoyance while Lucian continued his smug appearance. After a few awkward minutes of waiting, the first of the Everlost party surfaced in the lake.

"Atrus!" Jaden called, waving at the merman from the shoreline. He gave his wings a sharp flap so that he hovered above the water to greet his friend in the lake. Atrus waved back and gestured for the rest of them to follow him to the center of the water, his tail flashing in the midday sun. Lucian scowled at the merman, muttering threats under his breath.

Atrus ignored the pixie and dove down into the center of Learik Lake, the portal into his world, with finality, the rest of the rebels on his tail. As always, Jaden saw the beauty of the place between the worlds, the multicolor presence around them, before his felt sharp pain in both his back and his legs.

* * *

_Run! I've got to escape! We have to hurry! _

Chains hung limply from her arms, useless to her as weapons unless she wanted to risk hurting her beloved. Breathes came out in sharp bursts and footsteps echoed off the long marble corridors. Shouts blared through the endless twists and turns and arrows hissed through the air with the power of greed behind them.

_"Don't let them escape!" _a harsh cry sounded. The sharp twangs of projectiles and clashing steel intensified. A cry of mortal fear escaped her lips when a solid body slumped onto her back, knocking her to the hard floor. Strands of hair brushed against her cheek and she felt the world shatter around her as orange sparks illuminated the hall with the other shouts.

_"MARCEL!" _

* * *

(Earlier) 

Blair rocked back and forth on the balls of her feet, her purple hair tied into a ponytail with a strip of her Slifer jacket. Her eyes took in everything: the rotten guard and Chris chatting, the prisoners in their cells were tensing, Bonaparte and Crowler looking surprisingly serious, Marcel's hand in hers...

THUNK!

The jerk guard slumped to the ground with finality and Chris lowered the butt of his Evermore sword carefully. His toe pushed into the guard's side, earning him no response. He turned towards us and announced, "He's out cold. Hurry before someone else comes to investigate!"

They barged out of their cells that had "conveniently" been left open by a certain rebel in disguise. Chris tossed them all handcuffs and chains wordlessly, his eyes never leaving the closed door. Meanwhile another rebel called Jace was fitting the chainmail and helmet over his head, along with the guard's shirt bearing the Overlord's crest. Chris carefully guided the man's wings through the holes as Crowler helped to shove the guard's limp body into a cell and lock it.

The others lined up and tried to look helpless and depressed, which was not hard considering they were attempting to break out of the most heavily guarded area in all of Evermore. Chris and Jace nodded to the group of "chained up prisoners" and started to lead them into the next room and up a flight of dimly lit marble stairs.

"Why is it so dark down here?" Blair had asked Christopher out of the blue once to pass the time. He leaned against their cell casually and whispered his response.

"Evermore's don't like the dark. It reminds them of being deep underwater, where their wings weigh them down and their weapons are useless. It inspires fear."

Well, it seemed to be working; only the trained rebels seemed immune to the effects of the darkness. Other prisoners (including Blair) who were unjustly trialed weren't doing as well; they were cowering against one another with wide vulnerable eyes. Marcel brushed his hand on Blair's back in a comforting way, obviously seeing her discomfort. She almost laughed out loud! They had switched rolls! Usually she was the one who had to take care of Marcel!

"Don't leave me, Marcel," Blair spoke quietly. "I don't know what I'd do without you."

"It'll be alright," he whispered into her sensitive ears. "I'm here forever."

The doors swung open easily and light poured into the small winding tunnel, illuminating their frightened faces. Chris jerked outside and pulled the lead rebel, whose name escaped Blair, by her shackles into the marble hall. Jace paused at the door and observed them all with his sharp eyes. When the last of the rebels had cleared the door, he took up the rear and held his sword steadily at Crowler's back as if keeping him in line.

Around ten others were milling around in the hallway and they barely gave them a second glance. They were only stopped at the doors by a member of the army with a bored look on his scarred face. One of his wings was torn in the middle, making the appendage flutter uselessly in the slight breeze from the open, heavily guarded, windows.

"State your business," he commanded in a dull voice.

"Oh come on Alec, I've been doing this for years, do I really have to repeat myself every time?" Chris bantered with the sturdy soldier.

"Orders are orders Christopher, no matter how much I don't like 'em," Alec replied steely.

The rebels had visibly tensed and were preparing for the worse. If push came to shove, they could always use the heavy metal chains and cuffs as weapons, but half of them didn't know how to use them and would most likely cause more harm than help.

Chris sighed, giving no sign to the tension in the air. "I'm taking them in for questioning again, plus, those humans know the Guardian, so I'll have to torture them for information, unless—" he paused and shot them a dirty and clearly loathing look—"they want to cooperate and save themselves unnecessary suffering."

Blair took and step back and Marcel grew deathly white while Crowler and Bonaparte attempted to appear small and insignificant. (This totally failed)

"Very well, don't stop to smell the roses on your way, you know how them rebel types are," Alec muttered, taking out something that looked suspiciously like a human IPod (I don't own!) and sticking the headphones into his ears. Blair couldn't help but drop her jaw and stare at the old beat up soldier before Marcel jabbed her back sharply to get her to move again. The young man and his child in front of her saved her confusion by answering her unspoken question.

"Here in Evermore, most people want to strike out against you humans and take over your world, because we're jealous of all of your technology and your cultures. Stealing that music thing is just one small fact that places the soldier into that category, and since it is human technology, it is seen as a great accomplishment to his fellow soldiers. We can be very queer in that way."

"Uh, if you hate humans so much, why don't you invade?" Marcel questioned.

"We know that humans are bitter and they don't know when to give up. We also know that their weapons will destroy our world as well as their own. It would be foolish to declare war on such an ignorant species. No offense or anything, I don't believe that all humans are that way!"

Marcel shut his trap in defeat. They certainly did have a point.

"We weren't always this way," Blair whispered in spite of herself. "And its not like we're evil or anything... we're just..."

"Human," the young child answered with a smile behind his heavily bruised face. Blair nodded. "Don't worry, the Guardian is human too."

"What?" Marcel bluntly asked. "The who?"

The child giggled despite all he had been through. "The Guardian will save us all," he sang. "The legend says so. It says he and his angel will end the current world!"

"Isn't that a bad thing?" Bonaparte muttered from the end.

"Not necessarily," the parent countered. "You have seen and heard what our world is like; ending the current world could simply mean change, not destruction. I've met the Guardian, and I know he won't fall. He is the farthest thing from dangerous that we have here."

"Shut your traps back there!" Chris barked at us when he sensed we finished the conversation. We complied and did not speak again, listening only to the footfalls of shoes on the marble floors. So far, so good. Only a select few gave them strange looks but none of the entities stood in their path to freedom. A shiver of apprehension vibrated throughout the core of the procession, their escape was near.

They approached the wooden doors without hesitation, which gave way with a soft touch and wary words spoken through the peep-hole. They filed in the room like trained animals, allowing them to be herded against the cold wall. The man in the center of the room rose to greet them. He bore a scar that started from his eyebrow and went down to his cheekbone that glinted malevolently in the dim lighting. Only madness and cruelty survived in those black hawk eyes and wings. As he approached, he allowed his talons to trail against the long table in the very center, scattering papers and leaving their ears in agony.

"Hello little girl," the man gargled at Blair with a throaty voice. "I'm told you know the Guardian, is that true sweetheart?" He brushed his talons faintly across her tender flesh under her chin as if comforting her. All it succeeded in doing was freaking her out. "He gave me this scar you know," the man continued in that horrible raspy voice. "And he took out my voice when he kicked me in the throat."

Blair felt her blood run cold. This man was insane. She could feel it in his very core, it screamed from its caged prison within his mind. He would show no mercy. "I don't know what you're talking about," Blair recited truthfully.

"Ooooh," the voice of insanity clipped. "That was a mistake princess. You wound me with your lack of cooperation, although, to be fair, you may not know him by that name. You were accused of loving him before you arrived here, does that clear anything up?"

"Jaden?!" Blair gasped before she could stop herself. There was no way that Jaden could be involved in this kind of stuff, or even scar this man for that matter! Jaden Yuki wouldn't harm a fly!

_Unless he was forced to... unless he was protecting something precious to him_, a small voice in her head explained.

"So you doooooo know him?" the hawk-like creature smirked before making a racking noise too horrible to be defined as laughter. "That little bastard took on a friend of mine in a duel way back, beat the shit out of him too, I saw it all with my eyes. He's up with the others who went sparkle-poof and I'm still stuck down here, neither dead nor alive in my opinion." He made that noise again.

Could this be true? Was Jaden actually this Guardian person?

"I know of a Jaden Yuki," she replied carefully. "I have never heard of the guardian before."

The torturer smirked devilishly and continued to trail his coal talons across her soft neck. "Of course you haven't. That bastard is not likely to go telling everyone about that. I would, because that would cause fear and fear earns respect... or at least obedience. You can ask the Overlord about that. If you live to see the light of day that is," he purred, breaking the surface of her skin in a small spot to prove his point. Blair barely winced, but Marcel stirred angrily besides her.

"Now, now," Chris intervened before something drastic could happen. "We can't kill them if they cooperate, can we now? You four would be treated as our most humble guests and given unimaginable power and wealth in this new world. Think about it. Your authority would be unchallenged. Anything you desired would be presented to you on a solid gold platter. You would be royalty."

"The other option Messieurs?" Marcel inserted rudely.

Chris exchanged an evil glance with the prosecutor. "A very slow and painful death."

The humans shared an uneasy glance, slightly unnerved by Chris' sneer. The other rebels were as well, only they had better reasoning to be startled and confused. Chris was a fairy. Fairies have generally very little control over their emotions and are notoriously bad actors. But then again, they reasoned, Chris was the sole heir to the Lessinhop family, who were a more elite member of the fairy race. They even had some elemental blood mixed in with their overpowering fairy blood, which could cause unpredictable events to occur around the Lessinhops.

Meanwhile, the four unusual heroes were glancing at one another as though in deep conversation. "All right," Crowler muttered delicately. "We'll talk. I won't let one of my students get hurt under my watch."

The crazy Aven smirked manically at his response. "That's good, choose to save your own skins. Now, can you four humans follow me into that room their? We don't want information falling onto unworthy ears."

He flounced away with Chris following closely behind the humans. Blair remembered this part the clearest. The entire outcome of this operation could depend on whether or not this meeting went well. Marcel sped up so that he was directly to her right and clasped their hands together. She smiled at him with passion before giving her teachers the same look. They returned them with only a shadow of fear hiding beneath their cocky expressions.

She smiled. Crowler will be Crowler.

"Why do you want to know things about Jaden anyway?" Blair wondered, trying to distract the spiteful creature. He cackled into the high ceiling before responding.

"Information about one's enemy is very valuable little one," he sneered. "We need to know his every flaw, his every feeling, his every weakness to take him down. We need to get him to see the benefits of the Kingdom and make him leave the Rebellion. Chris here has seen the difference. Haven't you Lessinhop?"

Chris jumped away from the small passage he had been slowly trying to open when he was unexpectedly drawn into the conversation. He leaned casually against the wall to cover his blunder and nodded nonchalantly. "Best decision I've ever made."

"How can we join?" Blair suddenly insert, gushing. She stamped her foot down hard on the ground, listening to the sound revolve around the small gloomy room repetitively. She narrowed her chestnut gaze roughly, trying to act like she never had before. And she had to do some pretty good acting to sneak into Duel Academy as a small boy when she was only eight years old. So this couldn't be so hard, right? "I'm so sick and tired of being beaten down and rejected by Jaden of all people! I don't need his approval to know that I'm good enough! I'm done chasing him down! He thinks that I'm not good enough? Ha, well, I want to prove him wrong. Tell me what I have to do to take him down, and I'll do it."

The Aven tittered devilishly, obviously too caught up in Blair's superficial attitude to see the truth behind those clinical words. "And you?"

Marcel stiffened before giving Blair what he hoped was a passionate look. He had never been one good at acting on the spot, and coming up with a distraction while Chris pried open that sealed door wasn't going to be the easiest thing in the world. "I'm with you Blair. I will follow you wherever it is that you go. I love you."

The Aven twitched a bit in disgust. "Love—bah—that is an untrue word. There is no such thing as love child, keep that in mind. The only thing that love will bring is heartbreak, they go hand in hand. Keep that in mind little one. She will break your heart and steal your life in the end. That is how it always goes. And I have quite an eye for these things."

Blair felt defensive after that ego-damaging rant, and almost launched out to verbally attack her unjust accuser before Bonaparte interrupted her, swelling with the chance to act dramatically.

"I've been telling him that for ages, it's refreshing to see someone who finally has their head in the right place. Firmly attached to their shoulders that is," the Frenchman said flawlessly. "Maybe you can be the one to convince my son."

The Aven didn't need further convincing, he launched right into a speech bashing love while Chris battled silently with the sealed door. An utter look of concentration adorned his face as the block of solid marble slowly and silently moved away from the wall. The whistling of high winds could be heard from the other side of the block, but the prosecutor/interrogator paid it no heed.

"Almost," Chris mumbled to himself. He cast Crowler, who had been slowly edging towards the door, a decisive nod, receiving one in return. Chris drew from his elemental bloodline and used the wind to blast the block out of its den with a sound like a backfiring car just as Crowler whipped open the door.

Air blasted through the hole in the wall in rhythm with the pounding of bare feet against stone. Their enemy barely had enough time to blink, let alone alert the other guards, before he was overwhelmed and knocked unconscious to the floor by Jace.

Silently, they crept into the walls and foundation of the older parts of the castle. They wove through the tunnels that had been closed up for this very reason hundreds of years ago; to stop people from escaping.

"These were built back in the 1700s by Allian and Elaine Pronscea when they served the Overlord. They used their unique angel gifts to carve these from the pure marble and they helped smuggle refugees and rebels out of the castle. Soon after, something happened with the tunnels and they were found out. Elaine fled into her safe houses in the city while Allian stayed behind. It was then learned that an angel had betrayed the Rebellion. Allian Pronscea had told the Overlord of the tunnels and he closed them up hastily, never punishing the angel for reasons known only to himself," Chris narrated to them, trying to prevent them from tensing up and panicking in the gloom and darkness.

"I didn't know Elaine served the Overlord as well," Jace exclaimed somewhere near the back in his gruff, but kind, voice. "I thought it was just Allian that was his head of defense or something like that."

"They both worked here. They were branches from the Rebellion even way back then. Elaine and her daughter stationed themselves here to try and break down the Kingdom from the inside out. It would have worked too, had _that_ not happened."

"Oh," Jace replied.

"What happened?" Marcel wondered, feeling left in the dark.

"Allian fell in love," Chris whispered. Before they could respond, he put a finger to his lips. "This is the end of the line. After this last turn, there's a dead end that actually comes out right in the main entrance to the castle." Blair strained her neck around the turn and did see a solid wall of stone blocking their way. "But don't worry, I've stolen some small explosives from my partner back in the prison. The only drawback is it'll alert every member of the Overlord's army in the area where we are. As soon as I set this off, all of us will become a target. Just remember to head for the main doors while they're still open. Go for windows if you can. Jace, Marylyn, Rogue, and I will carry the humans into the sky. They are our main concern, got it? These people are friends of our last hope, so we must protect them like he would protect us. Any questions?"

"Yes," the woman addressed as Marylyn replied. "What happens after we get out?"

Chris hesitated as he placed the two small red charges at opposite ends of the wall. "We try to out-fly a dragon."

Silence greeted him as fear overtook half of their members. "You would die in here anyway!" Blair suddenly cried out to them. "You would die being locked away in the darkness and devoid of a voice! I don't know how things are run here, but in my world, facing a dragon in a prison escape and emerging victorious is a major leaf in history! Think about this! If—when—we succeed, you'll all prove that rebels or outsiders or whatever it is you are aren't weak! You'll prove that you are strong and willing to make sacrifices to pursue your dreams! Then it will be them that fear _you!_"

"You humans are always so emotional," Rogue quipped with a grin. "But you're usually right. Just as you are now. Let them blow Chris."

The others nodded fiercely, family clinging onto each other as their chains were mostly discarded. Some kept the metal appendages to use as weapons, but most of them were left glistening in the chambers, an everlasting reminder that the Overlord had failed.

* * *

Blue.

That was the first thing that caught Jaden's attention when he opened his alert underwater eyes. Everything here was always so blue, it was unsettling. Pushing those useless thoughts out of his mind, the young man twisted around in the clear waters to check up on his guard. A few of them had their eyes bugging out, this was undoubtedly the first time they had seen Jaden in this world. He sighed, sending bubbles cascading through the liquid like a small fountain.

"Are you all ready?" he asked them. They started again, confused on how he could speak under here. Lucian merely starred at Jaden's long red-gold and white finned tail with distaste before pumping his wings forward. Atrus glared at the pixie and swan away without another word.

Jaden followed his friend's tail carefully through the currents, keeping his thoughts locked up instead of voicing them to the young merman. He wanted to say so much to Atrus, to try and comfort him over the loss of Liz, of Serena, of his family. But what can you say to someone that just had that happened?

Sure, he had lost them as well, but Atrus had _lived_ with them. Jaden had simply visited them on and off for a few years. He never was even able to stay for more than an hour at the most because of what had occurred in his youth. As he swam behind a purple coral reef quietly, Liz's and Serena's faces came bursting back into his head. This is where they had secretly met so long ago... and the last time he had been here was over four years ago...

_"When are you coming to visit us again Jay?" Adria demanded, glaring at him. Jaden cast his gaze away from her, trying to hide his tears. _

_"Not for a while Adria," he replied steadily. _

_"Why agriello?" Liz pestered him while Serena stared him down with curious eyes. _

_"Because..." he faltered. _

Because I don't want to hear you try to comfort me about Lillian.

_"Because I've got to start spending more time in my own world Liz," he lied. "After I came home all bloodied up cuz I fought with Nick, my mom freaked out. I told her I fell out of a tree, but she didn't really believe me. If I keep vanishing off, she'll get suspicious." _

_"But you already spend most of your time in your world," Liz argued back. _

_"Quiet little one," Serena sharply injected. She floated over to Jaden's small frame and wrapped her arms around his chest, pulling him into a warm hug. "You always help us Jaden, but you never let anyone else help you. We won't be hurt because we helped you. That's what family does for one another... Jaden... Are you afraid to let us in?" _

_He struggled to pull away from her, but she held fast. Atrus and Adria joined in quickly while Liz forced him to face her. "Agriello, it's too late to block us out now." _

_"Don't say that!" Jaden rebuked angrily. "I'd never block you guys out!" _

_"You just did Jaden," Atrus snapped back, letting go of the young Guardian. "It's not your fault you know. Lillian didn't die because you opened up to her. It's the Overlord's fault. Be angry at him, not yourself." _

_"Or even at Nick for being the hand that took her life. Stop beating yourself up over this!" Adria demanded into his sensitive ears. _

_"Let go of me." It was a command. _

The Overlord wouldn't have targeted her and sent Nick if I hadn't have accepted her...

She would still be...

Alive...

Speaking...

Laughing...

_"Jaden—!"Adria tried. The boy tensed below her sensitive tapered fingers. What was going through his head? _

_"LET GO!" Jaden yelled, jerking away from them. _

This was not what I wanted. I didn't want to talk about her. Why couldn't anyone understand that?

_The nine figures froze as he sped away from them. As he burst out of the gate, Darkal stood waiting for him. The fallen angel watched him shake off his water-proof wings in silence. Jaden glanced up with slightly angered eyes. But Darkal could sense the despair hovering just below the surface. In the end, he only said one thing to the boy. _

_"You shouldn't do that to friends Jaden; don't you know they love to see you smile?" _

"Jaden?" a cautious voice burst his thoughts.

He glanced up and into Adria's deep eyes. She suddenly attached her right hand onto his left shoulder not unlike she had done previously.

"I'm so sorry Jaden," she apologized.

"Adria, it's alright," he responded quietly.

"No it's not," Atrus whispered, touching Jaden's free shoulder with his extended hand. His other rested on the coral reef where several other Everlost creatures stared down at him. His duel-disk brushed against Jaden's in a comforting gesture, meaning that he'll fight by his side. "We hurt you, didn't we?"

He didn't respond at first, his thoughts mulling over Darkal's words. When was the last time he had actually smiled a true smile?

"Yes, yes you did," he admitted after awhile. "It stung like nothing before... but I've had do deal with this already. I'm over it."

_"Ahh! Jaden!"_

_"... betrayed by a friend!" _

_"I have to carry the sadness of being betrayed by you…" _

"But, that's in the past," he said firmly. "Forget about it, I know that you guys are my friends, and I trust you."

He attempted to smile at them, knowing that he couldn't quite manage his usual glow. Their eyes still softened when they saw he was trying, but did not reply. They waved off the uncomfortable Evermore guard (who gratefully left the cold, dark, underwater world). Maxine smiled sadly at Jaden while touching two fingers to her lips. He nodded, understanding the call for silence now.

Their new leader, Ondine the naiad—who had a rather curious past of her own—smirked at him playfully before her webbed fingers and toes propelled her forward. Jaden remember fleetingly what her response to his question had been regarding if her human myth was true.

_She giggled and pointed up towards the surface of the ocean, shimmering just out of view. "You humans come up with the silliest things. I did marry Lawrence, but I didn't carry his child. Would I still be immortal if I did?" _

_"But did you actually curse him?" _

_She giggled again, twirling her long curly blonde hair around her webbed fingers. "He did promise me." _

He twitched at the thought of disobeying her—the others did as well—when he trailed behind her. She pointed to the castle about half a mile away suddenly. When they all squinted, they could make out a large dot racing towards the opposite direction, near the city called Poseidon after the 'human's foolish fantasies'.

Jaden felt the familiar spark of excitement course through his system as their plan unfolded before their very eyes. Ondine moved forward, sticking close to the coral to hide herself from view. Jaden followed directly behind her, unable to tear his eyes off the castle looming in the distance. He really couldn't remember what it had looked like before he had blown it to pieces, but he was sure it was nothing like this. It was protected in a dome of a strange see-through rock that cast an eerie glow across the capital and trapped the tall stone and coral pointed towers of the castle. Several guards patrolled the outside and inside, but today they had only eyes for the advancing army and a small figure floating just above the gates.

Although no one could clearly see her, they all knew she was the Queen. Jaden shivered when his senses picked up the drawing force of the medallion. The figure half-turned in their direction as if she sensed him as well, but dismissed it with a flick of her tail, returning into her fortress. Jaden felt a curious hand touch his shoulder and looked up to meet Patrick's gaze. He nodded to the man slowly, continuing at a quicker pace.

**_Be on guard,_** Haou warned him. **_Because I won't hesitate to take over if everything goes wrong. And I can't guarantee that my bargaining with the Queen will do your pets any good. _**

_I'm always on guard Haou._ But he frowned despite the confidence in his words. What would happen if everything failed? Did I make the right decision by coming?

_...Jaden? _an unsure voice echoed from within his mind. Jaden nearly jumped out of his skin when he heard it, startling Ondine enough to give him a reproachful glare.

Alexis?

_... Yeah, can you hear me okay? _

Perfect. You've already figured it out then? How to talk to me?

_I've done it before! _She snapped, bringing the smallest of smiles to his face.

Once, and you didn't even know what you were doing.

_Yeah... well... _

He felt her smile despite their distance apart.

Distract me Lex.

_Huh? _

Just talk about something random until I calm down please.

_Err... I'm going to run Chazz through with my sword? _

He blinked, his mind already lifting away from the overpowering presence of the Queen.

Why?

_He seems to think that since we aren't "together" anymore that he and I are. I wish he'd just get over me already. I mean, can't he take a hint? I've already unleashed Atticus on him, he's trying to get Chazz together with that girl that brought us clothes... err Alice I think? Anyway, he just left. Maybe if I punch him in the face he'll take a hint... _

I doubt it, Jaden input, trying to smile but frowning instead. They had just reached the dome. Ondine made way for Adria, whose tapered fingers smoothly sliced through the substance, leaving a hole wide enough for all of them to pass by. His eyebrows furrowed at the ease in which they gained entrance, but dismissed it for the fact that everyone was rushing to stop whatever chaos Allian and Ondine had planned there.

_Jaden... you're in trouble back here. _

'What?!'he exclaimed. 'Why?'

_I just walked in on the others, and they're discussing what it is that you're not telling them and how_ _Nick is involved exactly. _

Distaste flashed in his mind briefly as he wiggled into the hole, descending towards the deep purple towers. He understood that Alexis felt that, but she didn't respond to his uncharacteristic response.

'What are their ideas?' he seethed mentally, his senses still opening up in the comfortable water.

_Nothing close to the truth, _Alexis assured him. _Where are you now? _

'We're at the castle right now.'

_Be careful Jay. _

'I will be Lexi.'

She stayed quiet from then on, obviously steering his friends' conversation out of dangerous waters. His focus waned from Alexis' pleasant voice and onto Ondine's flowing hair, trying to picture his angel's hair instead. The party shifted about, checking for guards who may have noticed their presence. None of them stirred, their eyes still locked on the retreating army.

Ever so cautiously, the rebels slid silently into the towers through an open window. Once again, they hesitated before continuing, staying on high alert. Jaden shivered involuntarily as his sensitive vision settled on the dark corners and silent corridors. Even if his memory was tampered with, he could still pick out the familiar shape and gloom that the original halls were made from. Almost without thinking, he started drifting towards the chasm where the prison used to be. He was followed silently, no one wanting to break him out of his trance, floating into the dark unknown of the Guardian's past.

"Can you believe we're stuck back here?" a voice rebounded through the clear liquid. Jaden froze, his eyes widening. There was no mistaking the gruff and harsh tone of a guard. He spun around, making signs to scatter with his hands. They dashed off in different directions, pairing with two others silently. Atrus and Adria guided him cautiously away from danger, but Jaden couldn't help but cast glances back. He could just _feel_ that was the right way.

"Shut up Igor," snarled the other, gnashing his teeth together like thousands of nails against chalkboards. "At least we're in charge of _flushing_ those filthy rebels."

They laughed at their cruel joke, casually swimming past the hidden forms of Jaden and his friends. Jaden tried to summon up anger towards their hatred, but couldn't find the will to. He still was in too much of a daze. "Let's go," he whispered to them with an awkward jerk of his head. They nodded, pushing past him and into the now full hallway. Ondine's eyes flashed red with anger at the shark-men, visibly shaking. With a toss of her blonde hair, she lurched forward into the chasm were the guards had emerged from. Darkness greeted them like a thick blanket, velvety to the touch and suffocating.

Unnatural fear clutched at Jaden's heart as this utter and complete nothingness jolted him into an early memory of his first breaths as Haou.

_He was standing in the swirling darkness, surrounded by nothing except mirrors. Panicking in the unknown territory, he tried to run against the prison that he was in, only meeting invisible walls at every turn. He felt nothing but the icy temperature and wondered if he was dead. Crying out in defeat, shouting with all of his energy he had left, Jaden emptied himself of all of his grief towards his friends, finally falling to his knees and letting a few stray tears stream down his cheeks. The darkness continued pressuring against him, stealing away any vitality he had left and suffocating his shaking breaths with its tainted evil until all he could do was wonder why this was happening and what he did wrong. _

_"Let it out Guardian. Fight evil with evil." _

**(AN: Makes sense now! Use your evil (guardian) to fight against the evils entering into this world!) **

Jaden jolted back to the presence when a small speck of light reached his widened eyes. The others made a streamline towards the small glow of the underwater moss, swarming towards the only place where life could be in this desolate wasteland. Huddled against Atrus was Adria, her eyes closed tightly and her fingers cutting into him. He did not stop her or pay her any heed; his eyes were only settled on the darkness with a peculiar expression.

"We need to split up," Ondine signed out in case anyone was near enough to overhear. "Go in your groups in different directions, this is dangerous. Keep each other strong, this darkness isn't natural."

She sped off with Maxine and Patrick, engulfed in the black right before their very eyes. Jaden was the next to leave with his group. All he could see was the glimmer of Atrus' tail in front of him and Adria's bright fin beside him faintly. They did not join hands, conscious that they made need to defend themselves against the unknown. No sooner had he thought that, something sharp grabbed his arm and stuffed something in his mouth. He couldn't speak through the vile substance, but lashed his tail out at Adria, hoping to capture her attention. It was no use; they were swimming too far away in silence, believing that he was hovering just behind them, safe.

_Alexis!_ He shouted.

"None of that now dear Jaden. No communication whatsoever with your friends, acquaintances, or any living creature in general in any way possible. Am I clear?" _her_ honey-sweet voice whispered in his ear. He tried contacting Alexis in vain, but all he received was more pressing silence. He was alone again... alone and completely helpless under the careful power of the medallion.

* * *

**YES, I AM EVIL. I JUST LEFT YOU WITH TWO CLIFFHANGERS! n.n**

**(DODGES FLYING TOMATOES)**

**HEHE... **

**I'VE GOT A QUESTION FOR ALL OF YOU, DO YOU WANT ME TO GIVE YOU A RIDDLE WITH THE ANSWER (kinda anyway) TO WHAT THE END OF THE STORY IS? (this will occur in a few more chapters)**

**(everyone appears shocked)**

**WHAT?**

**ANSWER IN YOUR REVIEW OR GIVE ME A MESSAGE! AND PLEASE GUESS WHAT YOU THINK WILL HAPPEN! I THINK IT'S FUNNY/COOL WHAT YOU GUYS COME UP WITH!**

**AxJfan**


	24. Prisonbreak part 2 and RIDDLE

**TADAH!**

**INSPIRATION HAS STRUCK ME THANKS TO THE STORY ELEMENTS OF A DUELIST! THAT IS A SWEET STORY AND I HIGHLY RECOMMEND YOU READ IT! **

**ANYWAY, HERE IS THE REST OF PART TWO, ENJOY AND DON'T FORGET TO CHECK MY ACCOUNT FOR PREVIEWS!**

* * *

Chapter 21 PART TWO

Adria's sightless eyes shifted back and forth restlessly in the taunting black chasm, searching for the small amount of light that she knew she would never find.

"Atrus?" she whispered, wanting to know that she was not alone.

"I'm here," he roughly replied, his tone still cold. She sighed, sending unseen bubbles spiraling into the black waters. She wished that he would stop being so closed to her; she was there when Liz died too!

"Jaden?" she said softly, glancing behind her as if it could help her vision. There was no response.

_Maybe he didn't hear me... _

"Jaden?" her voice enunciated clearly. Atrus turned his head slightly, straining his ears to catch the response of their endangered friend.

* * *

BOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOM!

Clearing the chunks of discharged marble and dust, they sprang out into the open and into the clutches of posted guards. Arrows suddenly shot past them as their chains hung limply from their arms. Blair searched for the face of her teachers and boyfriend, seeing no one she recognized. Squeezing a few lonely tears out of her eyes, she raced towards the doors that were pried open by the faster rebels, panting heavily.

_Run! I've got to escape! We have to hurry! _

Chains hung limply from her arms, useless to her as weapons unless she wanted to risk hurting her beloved. Breathes came out in sharp bursts and footsteps echoed off the long marble corridors. Shouts blared through the endless twists and turns and arrows hissed through the air with the power of greed behind them.

_"Don't let them escape!" _a harsh cry sounded. The sharp twangs of projectiles and clashing steel intensified. A cry of mortal fear escaped her lips when a solid body slumped onto her back, knocking her to the hard floor. Strands of hair brushed against her cheek and she felt the world shatter around her as orange sparks illuminated the hall with the other shouts.

_"MARCEL!" _

She craned her neck to try and catch one last glimpse of her dying heart, stopping short when she saw as arrow hit right in front of her head. Had she still been standing... that arrow would have killed her.

"I told you I'm here forever," Marcel's French accent fluttered into her ears. A wide smile split onto the fallen girl's lips as he hoisted her up and grabbed her hand, leading her outside. As they passed the archway they witnessed Chris deflecting the projectiles with jets of air to shield the prisoners in their escape. When their skin first glowed with the afternoon light, they heard him scream.

Something invisible slammed into his chest like a brick wall, making his body curl into a defensive ball as it crashed into the hard wall. He flared open protective, but incredibly pained, wings in an attempt to steady himself, but they were only caught in fierce gales that were not his own. Pinned to the wall, unable to rise higher, he could only helplessly watch as the arrows started hitting their targets, taking the lives of some prisoners that he had freed.

But he knew this would happen, for it was near suicide to attempt what they were doing.

"Chris!" someone shouted, sounding worried. He tried to respond but oddly enough couldn't find the right amount of air to do so. Then he finally registered what was happening. The full elemental was here, and he wasn't happy.

"Evan," he breathed out, struggling against the man's grip.

"I knew you were a traitor Lessinhop," Evan's voice rebounded across the wind. "And so did the Overlord." Chris felt his eyes dilate and his wings shift to white in shock as the elemental's wispy laughter echoed around his ears. "Of course he knew, do you really think that a child such as yourself could fool him? He stationed all of us here, and the dragon is waiting for your precious friends outside. Face it Lessinhop, you've failed."

Dread seeped into his being in pace with the sweat that leaked out his pours, and he saw his empty grave sitting next to his sisters in that forsaken forest, cursed with rebel magic in order to save them. Lillian.

A hotter emotion overtook his flimsy fairy emotions, revenge.

"No," he whispered. "I won't go down without a fight!" He gathered what little power he had against this full-blood and sent a single torpedo of air spiraling through the heart of the storm. The gales abruptly halted as the elemental recovered, dropping Chris to the floor, giving him just enough air to scream his message to those he was desperately trying to save. "DON'T OPEN YOUR WINGS! KEEP THEM CLOSED, THERE'S AN ELEMENTAL!"

That job done, he refueled his own lungs, gathering his strength. He knew that vengence could come in more than one way, and allowing the prisoners to escape was a perfect slap to the Overlord's perfect face.

_I've got to keep his attention!_ Chris thought quickly, snapping his own scratched wings up and rising into the deadly sky and out the door. He felt the harsh hand of the wind ensnare his right ankle and attempt to pull him back to his death.

Armed with only his iron will, Christopher surged forward and out into the courtyard of the dark fire, sensing the pressure of the dragon's wings beating before he felt the intense heat from the flames.

The fire barely singed his feet, but he heard a blood-curdling cry of mortal fear sound from behind him. Unconsciously, he twisted around to meet the wall of blue flames, mesmerized by what he saw. The fire danced in the shrinking tunnel of air, feeding greedily on the oxygen until Evan was forced into his solid form. With once cruel eyes now filled with only fear, the man reached out for freedom, trying to drag Chris with him, but vanished in a shower of orange sparks, his skin crumbling back into the air from which he was made.

Shock rooted him to his spot in the sky, instinct being the only thing that kept him floating. Then his saw a rush of arrows and spears rushing towards him and suddenly everything became dark.

* * *

**(ALEXIS POV)**

_Alexis! _

Instantly, I was on my feet and whirled towards Allian's room, conscious of my friends stares as they picked at their strange-looking food. I had never heard Jaden's voice so desperate and even frightened before in my life, not even when I lost him the first time. Something was desperately wrong.

_JADEN?! _

He did not reply to my worried calls, spurring my thoughts into an uncontrollable frenzy as I pounded mercilessly on Allian's door. She burst out of her room in a stupor, her duel-disk activated and her cards drawn. "What's wrong little angel?" she demanded, stowing away her cards as she read my feelings like an open book.

"It's Jaden, something's gone wrong!" I exclaimed, starting to pull her towards Darkal, who was lounging in the main hall. Allian picked up her pace until she was running parallel to my legs which ran on fear. "He called me, but now he won't respond!"

Allian's electric blue eyes locked on my lifeless face and her wings found my arm, brushing them against it like she always did to Jaden. It held no comfort for me what-so-ever. Although my lungs felt like they were flaming and my legs dragged like two-ton cement blocks, I forced myself into overdrive with the thoughts of Jaden in trouble.

Why did I have to love someone who attracted trouble like a magnet?

The walls lined with glowing gems and the even floors did nothing to distract me with their enchanting beauty as we passed them, I had eyes only for the other head figure of the Rebellion. I knew that these two Evermore creatures made a deadly team, and my angel-driven instincts told me that Jaden would need all the help he could get.

"Darkal!" Allian shouted in a sharp voice I had never heard her use before. "Move. Now!"

The man who had been innocently gazing into space responded with surprising speed, scooping me up in his covered arms and exploding out of the cave with Allian in the lead. My eyes scanned the ground for the lake located inside the forest, hoping to spot the blue even from this far away. My head told me that we wouldn't reach its shores for another twenty minutes, but my heart rejected it. We would be there soon.

We will reach the lake and save Jaden.

We have to, or we're all doomed.

* * *

"Jaden?" Adria called in a slightly louder voice.

"I'm here," came Jaden's voice from behind them. The other two merpeople sighed in relief when they felt their friend gently touch their shoulders with his fingertips. "I didn't hear you the first time Adria, sorry."

"It's no problem as long as you're safe," the eighteen-year-old responded, flicking her short hair lazily. Atrus reminded them to stay quiet and the trio spent the rest of the trip in silence. For some strange reason, the two childhood friends felt danger stirring in the water now, but they couldn't identify what was wrong exactly. All they knew for certain that their friend was behind them, safe and not in the Queen's clutches, so all would be alright.

'Jaden', unseen in the swirling chasm where your vision was useless, smirked, revealing a large mouth full of sharp fangs and red demonic eyes.

* * *

**(With Jaden)**

"Take my hand Jaden," the Queen commanded. He could just barely make out the hand with Haou's vision, but he still was able to flawlessly grasp the other one. He shivered when it made contact with her hand; it was unnaturally cold and almost intangible. She led him through the chasm and into a small passage off to the side. The door was closed silently by two guards, their red eyes glowing eerily in the dim light.

"Very good," the Queen smirked, still hovering just out of sight. "You may speak to me only now, and you may not speak above a whisper." She finally turned around to face the guardian, and Jaden gasped, all of the color draining from his face.

"You!" he hissed at the young Queen, not entirely surprised. "How did you get—?!"

"Do not speak my name!" she snapped at him. Then her voice softened to a tone one would address a child with. "Or think it for that matter."

Jaden growled at her with a look of utter betrayal adorning his features. "Adria and Atrus will notice that I'm missing," he threatened, his voice sounding desperate to his own ears.

"I've already taken care of that Jaden dear. I knew what was coming, so I've already sent someone out to hang with your friends for a short while before incapacitating them. It was no coincidence that I chose this basin of darkness Jaden," the Queen of Everlost continued, enjoying her triumph.

"What do you want?" Jaden spat in the worst voice he could muster.

_**I know what she wants first,**_Haou answered. _**She wants to know...** _

"...the truth," the mermaid replied as if finishing Haou's sentence. "I first charge you to tell the truth."

_Why would she do that? _

_**I once told you that in this cruel world of deceits you must rule by power. There is no greater power than knowledge Jaden. And we... we can give her more knowledge than she can ever dream of...** _

"With knowledge comes power, with power comes responsibility," Jaden finished, gazing into the pink-red eyes of the Queen.

**(Back with the gang)**

The teens stared blankly at the place where Alexis had been innocently eating her lunch a few seconds ago. Now her seat was empty and her fork had cluttered to the floor. Shock rooted then to the spot as she sprinted back into the room with Allian at her heels and then ran over to Darkal. Allian gave him a sharp order and suddenly Alexis, Allian, and Darkal were flying away from them at top speeds.

"What just happened?" Jesse blinked, standing up with Ruby on his shoulder. The little cat-like creature shook her head sadly.

"Something must have gone wrong," Melody concluded, talking to Pegasus. He nodded and the two left the room with the others following them closely.

"Where're you going mates?" Jim wondered as they tailed him, missing the usual weight of Karen on his back. He hoped she was doing okay back in Nhime on her own.

The two secret-keepers didn't seem to hear them as they marched towards the corridor with the hidden stair well. Axel pushed his way to the front and planted himself in front of Pegasus, taking him roughly by the neck and narrowing his eyes.

"Tell us what's going on; I won't let you put us in any danger."

Pegasus did not appear to be unnerved by Axel's demands; he appeared to be very serious for once. The man moved the anger-fueled hand away from his neck and pushed past the muscular soldier. "We're going to follow them."

"Yeah, because we all can run faster than they can fly," Chazz sarcastically remarked. But they still all followed Pegasus and Melody up the winding stairs. Melody hesitated, pressing her ear against the door and saying a few soft words in a strange language. She made an attempt to smile, failed miserably, and then pushed open the trapdoor carefully.

Once they were all standing out in the open, Melody closed her eyes and whistled a strange melody full of mystery. When the song ended thirty seconds later, she pointed upwards and replied to Chazz, "We can't, but they can."

"I don't understand," Jaden admitted to the Queen.

"Of course you don't," she sweetly said. "And I don't care to explain it to you. Just bring her to me."

"But _how?_" he muttered, flabbergasted and hurt.

"You'll figure it out, or at least Haou will," the Queen snickered. "Just bring her to me before the fortnight ends or... well, I already told you what you will have to do."

Jaden's eyes narrowed dangerously in the dimly lit room. He clenched his teeth and fists together in repressed frustration. His tail flicked back and forth restlessly, causing him to almost pace in the ocean.

"And of course, you already know that you cannot communicate my plans or act like anything is wrong when you leave my castle, right Jaden?" the Queen continued idly. "And to make things a bit easier for you, why don't I start out with this?" She swam up to him and whispered the command in his ear.

"What?!" he exclaimed. "How will that make it easier?!"

"It makes it easier for you to betray her. And who knows, maybe it'll save you a few precious mintues of your lives," the Queen pointed out. She sighed suddenly, holding her hand to her head. "Does it feel like this all the time Haou?"

Within Jaden's mind, Haou sent a few waves of sympathy. Since the question was directed at the Supreme King, he was the one who had to answer. **"All the time,"** he replied.

_What is she talking about? _Jaden snapped at his other half when he regained control. Haou remained silent, ignoring the Slifer student. _Haou! Answer me! _

"It's no use talking to him, he won't answer," the Queen quietly whispered, her voice hinting evil undefined. "Now leave this place with those two, make it seem like you're escaping if your friends find you before you find them. And remember Jaden,"—she glanced up through her bangs nastily—"two weeks."

**(Chris POV)**

The first thing I noticed was that it was dark. The second thing was I was very wet. What happened? Sharp clangs rebounded on my right side, sounding like weapons had just connected with rough armor.

"Nice catch dragon!" someone shouted outside, obviously one of the Overlord's servants. A deep throaty growl ripped from the void behind me, and I rolled side to side on a slimy appendage which I just realized was a tongue. I drew my dagger from beneath my boots silently, but hesitated to lash out at the dragon.

"Dragon?" I wondered. If it had just snapped me up in its mouth why hadn't I been swallowed?

"Stay quiet little one," the dragon hissed her voice hardly even a whisper. "I will not harm you, I'm working with you."

I was painfully aware of every thrust of her wings and the swipes of her tail. "Won't they notice that you're not hurting us?" Chris called out.

"I'm very convincing," she smirked. "Fear is a very powerful element."

More screams bounced around the entrance path to the castle. I didn't doubt that. Desperately and slightly anxious about the gapping void behind me, I grasped onto one of her ivory teeth and clung there as her tail was brought down violently behind her. I could see specks of orange light leaking past her teeth. Suddenly, she opened her mouth and blew me out, sending me tumbling to the earth before I remembered to flap my wings.

Torrents of flames flowed from her large mouth and her green eyes sparkled devilishly. Now she wasn't even trying to hide her allegiance. She completely turned around and launched herself at the castle, tearing off a tower. With her large muscles rippling under her scales, the dragon lifted the tower and threw it into the party of guards at the center of the castle. Dust rose into the sky now, combined with fizzling existences.

"Fly!" she roared at my friends and I. I complied, searching around for Jaden's friends. I found Blair and Marcel in Rogue's arms, completely safe. I continued my search, finding Jace in the chaos with the two teachers. I lifted up the taller one from behind, startling him, and Jace swiftly carried the other out of here. A few stray arrows occasionally made their way towards us, but for the most part the dragon had eliminated the remaining members of the castle. A small train of the guards could be seen fleeing into the city, but the dragon did not chase them. "Cowards," she mumbled, growling at them as they shoved startled citizens out of the way.

The castle was still standing, and no one seemed to see any initiative to topple it, so we flew off triumphantly, proudly waving at the livid citizens who shrank in fear from the dragon. As we approached the countryside, Rogue swerved onto the dragon's head and dropped the two children on her head. Blair and Marcel got their balance and then began to slowly rub off the Overlord's symbol on the dragon's head. She smiled happily at the kids, a low trill escaping her throat.

"Should we chase after the Overlord?" I asked her as she caught up to me. Her smile vanished.

"No," she answered. "He is even more powerful than my fire. There is nothing we can do to stop him. All we can do is warn our friends, and I must protect my liege."

"Who did you swear fealty to?" I wondered curiously. "Allian? Darkal?"

"The Guardian," she smirked. "I swore fealty to him after he healed me."

"Huh? Jaden's here?!"

"Yes, he and the two rebellion leaders defeated me a few days ago. I made a deal with him and then told him my name. I am bound to him until death," the dragon whispered quietly, not wanting to startle the couple resting on her brow.

"Jaden hurt you?" Blair asked suddenly, tapping on her scales. The dragon laughed a small amount.

"He broke my jaw," she answered, "after I stole his Angel away from him. I honestly expected that much."

"Then why did you do it?"

"I was under orders. The Overlord ordered me to 'try and capture the Guardian Angel'. Well, I captured them, but I wasn't under any orders to take them back. I had no choice in the matter. That mark that you are removing right now is how he can control me like this," the dragon continued. "I am like many were at the very beginning of this war all of those years ago. I supported it, glad to be rid of those hideous sea creatures and pave the way for our superiority to close in. So I allowed the Overlord to bear his mark on me, not knowing that he could place some of his cursed magic on it. I no longer had just to promise something to make it binding. Now he could place any order on me that he wanted and I would have to obey. The only reason you two were able to take it off was because you two are the blood of the innocent and are in love. There is no magic more powerful than that."

"So you used Jaden to counter your imprisonment," Marcel concluded a bit angrily.

"Yes and no human. True, my fealty to him did lesson the control I was under, allowing me to save your pathetic lives, but I would not have ever sworn fealty to any other living creature. Your Jaden is a special being. When I laid my eyes on his soul I saw something that is impossible for someone like him. I saw hope and love. He proved to me that he was not just some horrible tool that can be used to save this world. He showed me unintentionally that he was not someone who would allow himself to be controlled by anyone. He showed me that he was the true Guardian."

Chris smiled in agreement. "I'm glad somebody else has faith in him, even when he doesn't."

"Angel of Darkness," she said, as if that summed up everything. Chris raised an eyebrow, but didn't bother to say anything. He knew dragons were strange creatures. "That's what we call them," she added with a chuckle. "Dragons understand the Guardian's nature a bit more thoroughly than fairies or angels do."

"Wait, hold on a second, Jaden's found his angel?!" Chris exclaimed, his eyes wide. "Oh crap! We have to get back fast! The Overlord must know! He's gathering all of those troops just so he can kill the girl and make Jaden loose it right in the heart of the rebellion!"

"We will arrive first; Nicholas has several stops to make on his way there, even if he is half a day ahead of us."

I watched Marcel and Blair stare sullenly off into the sky, annoyed at their lack of knowledge. I shook my head with a soft smile. "You two will have to wait for Jaden to tell you what's going on, it's not our right to tell you all of his secrets."

"I feel bad for Alexis," Blair suddenly input. "It must be tough loving someone with a whole other life that no one knew about. I'm glad I've got Marcel."

Marcel looked at her sideways and blushed.

"You know the Angel?" I gasped. Rogue slipped to my side, looking equally stunned. "How?"

"Err... if you mean the one who Jaden loves, than yes," Blair answered. "They were together back at DA."

"Hmm..." Rogue muttered. "Looks like your information just became more valuable than anything we could have told you, well almost anything."

Blair smirked and flashed Jaden's sign at them with her tongue sticking out. Marcel simply laughed and put his arm around her, happy with being out of that prison with her.

The rest of the flight was spent with elated shouts of joy from the prisoners and quiet pensiveness for us rebels. Those who knew the legends knew what this meant. "The end is near," I whispered.

**(NICK POV)**

My men gathered around the local tavern aggressively, greeting their friends or family with enthusiasm. I couldn't care less about their acts, so long as they didn't indulge in alcohol and weaken their minds for the upcoming battle. They all seemed to believe that the trek through the Millennia forest would be as easy as stealing candy from a baby, but it was far from that. I knew about all of the traps and of the Pronscea family that lived within its protective branches.

I knew not to mess with angels.

"Men, report back here at exactly noon tomorrow, understood?" I commanded in my specific voice, directing it at my army located in this large city, Graceland City. I knew they all heard, so I left the noisy tavern to find a quieter place to think. As I wandered down the streets, causing no stir ups because hardly anyone knew of my existence other that I 'worked' for the Overlord, I let my mind wander over everything that needed to be done.

The beggars all around me continued their pleas when they saw my fine clothes and the Overlord's symbol on my shirt. "Please young man," one of the creatures begged me. I couldn't even tell what it was anymore, it was so deformed. "Please help us. Tell the Overlord of the situation here; please tell him to send more aid! The war is draining us dry!"

"I'll make sure to tell him," I replied coldly, continuing my stroll. I already knew how bad it was everywhere; I didn't need these people to remind me of all the damage the Evermore's have brought to us. With midnight raids and to cost to manufacture supplies—and even the drafting of young warriors—this battle was taking its toll on us. I also knew that Evermore was in a parallel state, so I wasn't very tempted to end the war quite yet.

_After all, we have someone here with the worlds in her hands. Angel of Darkness. The Angel or even just 'Princess' by the Evermore's. _

I strongly believed that it would be this Alexis girl in the end that was the key to controlling the Guardian of the Angel's (Jaden's) choices, to getting him to fight for the Everlost Army instead of against us and everything else. If I could just gather his strength, not even the Queen could stand up to both of our powers. And Jaden could freely travel into their kingdom without the trouble of drowning, so I just _knew_ he was the perfect weapon to use against her. And the angel was the only one that could cause his shift of mind.

"Peace is an illusion," I muttered under my breath. "It's a foolish notion that cannot last, not ever. It is true in my home world and in every other one. Peace is a fool's way out."

Or so I told myself. I knew that complete victory over the other realm would not make everything magically better. They would eventually recover and jump into fighting again, to get revenge against us. The only way to stop the fighting once and for all would be total inhalation of the Evermores, a mass genocide movement to wipe them all off of the slate of history. And I was more than happy to be the one to destroy them.

They were a weak race that were only left standing because when things went bad, they could escape back underwater where we couldn't follow for very long without being ambushed and drowned. Scowling, I pushed past the ruined parts of the city and towards the center where my troops and I would be staying. The rubble and mounds of dust only succeeded to annoy me more, once again throwing in my face that I needed to capture the Angel, and I needed to do it soon.

"Three more days," I reminded myself. "Three more days until we reach the forest."

_And then another five to cross it on foot. Even with my thousands of troops storming the damned place, many will fall at the hands of the rebel swine. Ahh, well it will be worth the chase... now that I know where they are. _

I allowed my gaze to shift to the far west, in the direction of Cliff's Drop. Although I could not see the endless meadows that suddenly dropped off into deep gorges at all sides, I knew exactly where they would be.

**_"Together they fight, together they fall. For if one loses the other, the other will fade away,"_ **I sighed, winding my fingers in my spiky hair.

"Weeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee!" Atticus whooped, letting go of his hippogriff's mane for a brief second and sticking his hands up in the air. Syrus screamed in response, tugging at his partner's arms in panic.

"Hold on Atticus! I don't wanna die!" Syrus wailed. He was terrified of heights and it didn't help that the only thing he was holding onto wasn't holding onto anything else!

Atticus laughed childishly, but returned his arms to the animal's neck. Pegasus approached him on his namesake and Melody, who was behind him, smacked Atticus on the head. "This is serious Atticus!" she yelled, glaring at him through pink eyes. For the briefest second, her glare reminded Atticus forcibly of the look Jaden had gotten in his eyes just before Brron had sacrificed them: anger so powerful it was chilling. He looked away uneasily as Jesse observed Jaden's cousin from above on his Sapphire Pegasus. Hassleberry was riding behind him with his eyes in dino-mode, trying to pick up any sight of Allian or Darkal. Zane rolled his eyes from his own Griffin, agreeing with the angered teen.

"What's wrong Melody?" Jesse asked as they overcame Chazz and Bastion's hippogriff. The girl huffed, staring at Jim and Axel's winged horse. The girl's frowned deepened, but she didn't answer. The rest groaned. "Not another secret!" Jesse complained loudly.

"What does Alexis have to do with this Melody?" Zane insert suddenly. "How did she know something was wrong?"

Melody shook her head angrily. "I don't know everything Zane! This is the first time I've seen Jaden in ten years!!"

The others, shocked, shut up quickly, but Jesse seemed determined to get some answers out of the brunette duelist. "Melody, we have a right to know everything! Or at least enough so that we can help Jaden now! He's given up everything to protect us in the past, and who can say that we won't do the same thing for him?!"

"Idiot!" Melody announced. "You completely ignorant idiot! You guys have NO idea what you're getting yourselves into!" Tears threatened to spill over her eyes. "Jesse, you moron! I can't tell you everything! I won't let any of you get hurt!"

Jesse shared a perplexed glance with Hassleberry before Sapphire Pegasus flew over to the confused girl. Jesse wiped off her tears silently. "Melody, we're in danger anyway. Shouldn't we at least know what you think Jaden's facing in the other world so we can help?"

"Idiot," Melody muttered again, but didn't look away. "Weren't you listening to anything I just said?"

"Mels—"

"Don't call me that!" she snapped.

"Jesse-boy, leave her alone," Pegasus advised him gently. "She doesn't want to talk about this."

"But..."

"Do you mind Sapphire Pegasus?" Pegasus asked the horse.

"Not at all," the horse replied, moving away from the other winged horse. "Jesse, you need to let her be for a while."

"I'm just worried 'bout her is all," Jesse sighed. "She's Jay's lil cuz, she's gotta be taking all of this harder than any of us."

"Is that really all it is?" Sapphire Pegasus wondered. "Is there something more to it than that?"

**(With Alexis, Darkal, and Allian)**

"Alexis! Make sure that you're holding onto either me or Darkal at all times, we can lend you support to breathe down there!" Allian ordered, placing a hand onto the worried Angel. She nodded in response, keeping her eyes on the suddenly rough waters below. They plunged loudly into lake, casting water everywhere.

Alexis timidly opened her eyes, surprised that she didn't feel the need to breathe under here. Confused, she glanced up into Darkal's grey eyes, and then she understood. Lillian's diary had mentioned something about them being able to stay underwater for half of day if they needed to, so she guessed that any type of angel could share that ability.

Allian nudged her in the side as if demanding her to show them the way. She nodded fiercely, concentrating on the faint outline of Jaden's spirit. She pointed forward, and they moved silently, their wings working as giant water-proof fins. In silence that drove them all crazy, they swan to the castle and found the hole that Adria had cut thirty minutes ago. Alexis nodded, and they wiggled through and into the purple tower in front of them.

Suddenly, Jaden's presence came roaring to life, ten times stronger than what she had been receiving the last few minutes. She pulled Darkal's arm to the left, and they shot down into a completely black pit of despair. Now blind, Allian and Darkal were completely dependant on Alexis' love to guide them, and here they doubted the very existence of such a being, here in a world so unlike their own.

"LET GO!!" Jaden's voice suddenly rang into her ears, the sound of a struggle evident in the water. Surprisingly, no one else seemed to hear the shout for no other members of the Rebellion appeared.

Allian and Darkal made a beeline towards the voice, which was muffled by was sounded like a hand. Alexis deployed her duel-disk, which gave off some light, not caring whether or not she was seen now. Darkal and Allian followed suit, and the scene was suddenly lit up before them. Jaden was being held by two burly shark-creatures with flaming red eyes. Their grotesque mouths nearly split their faces in two, and those mouths were filled with pointed teeth.

One of them had its tapered hand over Jaden's mouth and his other tightly digging into his forearm. Jaden didn't seem to notice the faint red light, for he was facing the other way, but he noticed the two creatures' temporary pause and seized the moment to slam his beautiful tail into their chests, moving in a complete circle to dislodge himself from their hold. Stunned, the drifted away from him for a second before he deployed his duel-disk and slammed a card onto the machine.

Aqua Dolphin appeared in a brief flash of light, catching one of the guards and tossing them back. The remaining one deployed his own, locking the battle in place. Desperate, Alexis drew one of her cards that somehow wasn't affected by the moisture. It was Cyber Tutu. Smiling, she placed the card down and Cyber Tutu appeared in all of her glory, kicking the man harshly under the water. Two more flashes came into the water as more monsters appeared.

A large demon-like creature with a long spiked tail appeared on her right, the outline barely visible as it blended into the colors, and a female warrior with strange marking all over her body and white dress appeared on her left. The demon and maiden sent two beams of energy at the guards, who were sent spiraling out of sight.

"Alexis?!" Jaden shouted, obviously angry. "Why the hell are you here?! It's too dangerous for you!"

Alexis glared at him and crossed her arms, unable to speak. He continued to glare, not at Alexis, but at Allian and Darkal. She knew what he was silently saying.

He turned away with an angry gesture of 'follow me'. "ATRUS! ADRIA! ONDINE! THEY KNOW WE'RE HERE! SCATTER!"

His voice echoed strangely and distortedly through the dark waters, and for a few moments it was utterly silent, and they all feared that the worst had befallen this half of the Rebellion.

"JADEN!" someone shouted below them, and they all let out a (figurative) relieved sigh. "WE'VE FOUND THEM! WE NEED YOU TO BREAK THE GATES!"

Jaden dove downwards sharply, cutting ten times faster through the water than the three stragglers with heavy and awkward appendages to weigh them down. He found Ondine and the others crowded at the very bottom, on top of a cell barred by solid crystal, something that no one other than himself could break in this situation. "Stand back!" he ordered.

He tugged silently at the powers that Haou had control over, willing them to obey him as well. They complied, and soon Jaden was floating above an open cell, the crystal blasted into oblivion. The members broke out happily, but Jaden froze. "Where're Atrus and Adria?!"

* * *

**(Adria POV)**

I could hear shouts from behind us, but I wasn't sure what they were saying. "Atrus, she we head back?"

Atrus paused and I felt him glance back unsurely. We stood there in for a few minutes until four flashes of sudden and brief light illuminated in the distance. "Someone's dueling!" Atrus exclaimed. We slowly drifted back, but there were no more lights left.

"A hit-and-run duel?" I suggested. Hit-and-run duels basically started and ended with the opponents summoning the stronger monster faster, nailing the other, and then running while the opponent was trying to get to his feet. Jaden tended to be especially good at this type of dueling with his miracle-drawing skills (at least that's what we called it). Unfortunately, he also tended to summon his stronger monsters first in duels because of this.

"Probably," 'Jaden' replied briskly. "It looks like whoever was fighting got away, so we shouldn't worry."

I gave him a weird look, that didn't sound like the Jaden Atrus and I knew at all. He would already be rushing over to make sure no one got hurt or captured. I shrugged it off, pinning the problem on stress, as Atrus took my hand and led me away from the light. I couldn't see him, but I knew it was Atrus. For some reason I could always feel whenever he was around. "There's something wrong," he whispered so quietly in my ear I'm sure Jaden couldn't hear him. "I saw one of the monsters when it appeared; it was Aqua Dolphin."

"But that's—!" I whispered back.

"Jaden's monster," Atrus finished almost silently. I smiled despite the gravity of the situation, Atrus was starting to sound like his old self again, the old self that I cared for deeply.

"But then who's behind us?"

"Not Jaden."

"_Duh!_" I sighed. We both whipped around and deployed our duel-disks in a single motion. "DUEL!"

In the faint revealing light, we witnessed the sight of a young guard, probably only fifty years old. I briefly remembered that when guards grew older they could imitate any voices that they came across perfectly. I drew my cards flawlessly, quickly placing my favorite card down.

"I summon Serpent Dolphin in attack mode!" A dolphin with the slit, emerald green eyes and yellow and black designs that covered her body burst into existence.

"I activate the spell card," Atrus shouted, "Spirit of the Sea!" An eerie yellow glow engulfed my dolphin. "It increases one water-tribute monster's attack points by 700!"

"Now go! Attack!" I commanded. My card launched itself at the guard before he could react, and we slipped away and towards the noise. More screams were heard now, and I noticed that they weren't exactly fear-filled.

"Where're Atrus and Adria?!" Jaden's voice panicked. We dropped down neatly behind him, scaring the figurative pants off of him. "Guys?!" He was suddenly right in front of us, pulling us into a bear-hug. "I was worried!"

I heard something that made my heart crack with happiness. Atrus laughed. "Relax Jay," he chuckled. "We're fine! What happened to you?"

His eyes lost a bit of their shine. "Two guards grabbed me from behind and gagged me so I couldn't yell. They started dragging me away and I eventually got that rag off (I'm not sure where it went now) and starting yelling. They put a hand over my mouth but I nailed them with my tail and then Aqua Dolphin. And then..."—he turned to stare at Allian, Darkal, and Alexis—"these guys showed up."

"And now we have to run!" Patrick reminded him. Jaden flushed slightly in the light of the duel-disks, but gathered Alexis in his arms and took off. I smiled again at Alexis' surprised expression and answered her unasked question.

"No matter where you are, if you're with Jaden, you'll be alright," I told her. "You're safe."

"Not for long!" Angela pointed out. Her hand was stretched far behind them, were several bursts of lights appeared; monsters were being summoned. "MOVE!"

We all picked up our pace, Max and Michael helping out the two Evermores. We burst into the light, meeting an army of monsters. I smirked and placed a few more monsters on my duel-disk. Allian already had out three of her monsters, and Darkal just summoned his strongest one. Jaden placed his Neos on the field and Alexis summoned Cyber Blader. Soon, our monsters matched up against theirs.

"ATTACK!" everyone shouted. There was a huge explosion, throwing everyone against the walls as the monsters fought it out.

"Come on, this way!" Atrus shouted, pulling me towards the window. We all followed him with haste and struggled our way out of the dome. Finally, we made it to the portal in Learik Lake. I kept my eyes trained on Atrus, not wanting to lose sight of that smile ever again. Then, suddenly we were in another world.

And we weren't alone.

* * *

****

YAY CLIFFHANGERS!

**ANYWAY, REMEMBER TO CHECK ON MY ACCOUNT FOR PREVIEWS AND PLEASE REVIEW WITH YOUR IDEAS ABOUT THE ANSWER TO THE RIDDLES!**

**RIDDLE For real end of the story:**

**FOR THOSE HARRY POTTER FANS OUT THERE, THIS RIDDLE CAN BE SOLVED THE SAME WAY THAT HARRY SOLVED THE SPHYNX'S RIDDLE IN THE 4TH BOOK. WHAT YOU HAVE TO DO IS GET THE ANSWER TO ALL THREE OF THE PASSAGES AND COMBINE THEM TO GET A VERY VAGUE ANSWER TO THE REAL ENDING OF THE RISING! **

**AND IF THIS HELPS AT ALL, THERE WILL BE A SEQUEAL TO THE RISING, SO THIS ENDING ISN'T... ERR... THE PERMANENT ENDING! (GIGGLES) THE NEXT ONE IS GOING TO BE CALLED "THE DESCENT"**

**I TRIED TO MAKE THEM IMPOSSIBLY HARD TO TEASE YOUR BRAINS, BUT I'M NOT SURE HOW WELL THAT WORKED OUT... **

FIRST: (hardest one) 

**This soft touch illuminates the hardships with unlimited joy **

**Whilst still all it sets up is for our hearts to be destroyed **

**For there comes a time where everything must be made anew **

**The heartbreak of the word adieu **

**And old companions break apart **

**And yet it will always seem the same in the heart **

**For does one ever truly lose **

**The things created with _love_? **

**Joy this brings with worlds of unaccounted-for fantasies **

**Before being hardened by the cold world **

SECOND: 

**There is no time for REMedies **

**This is something that doesn't need to be cured **

**Many avoid it yet many long for it, but it is unattainable **

**This word is made up of the first half of something that causes irrational fear in explosive amounts **

**And the first answer hates this **

**What is it? **

THIRD: 

**-I am used as in many words and phrases, **

**-Nothing hinders my appearance **

**-Except for the dreaded IOAU **

**-I am seen and heard everywhere **

**-I am present in the raging wars **

**-And even in peaceful weddings **

**-But I am never touched for I do not exist **

**-I am never in first place... **

**-What am I? **

HINT FOR ANSWER: 

**I am a verb or a noun. **

**(I know, really helpful) **


	25. Expiration

**HEY, SORRY FOR NOT UPDATING ANYTHING IN, LIKE, A REALLY LOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOONG TIME!! **

**SO, HERE IT IS! AN EXTRA LONG CHAPTER JUST FOR YOU GUYS!**

**AND YES, YOU WILL BE MAD AT ME (ARE YOU EVER NOT IN THIS STORY?)**

**DISCLAIMER: DON'T OWN YUGIOH GX!**

**Chapter 23 **

**(Allian POV)**

As we burst out of the water and into the sky, shaking off the small water droplets on our water-proof wings, the others successfully broke out of the portal too. Jaden's aura was unusual with the mixture of emotions he was feeling towards Alexis, and the girl's was just calm and happy, probably ecstatic that Jaden was alright for once. Smiling, I faced Darkal, whose aura I could never see, and he was staring harshly in front of us. I let out a small gasp at the scene. We weren't alone.

Jaden didn't seem to notice with his pre-occupation, for he proceeded to start yelling at Alexis. "Lex! Why the hell did you do that?! You know it's too dangerous for you to follow me everywhere!"

Alexis didn't waver in her response. "You called out to me," she pointed out, also oblivious to their "company".

"I didn't want you to come! I wanted you to tell someone else! If the Queen would have captured you... if she would have hurt you... it would be all over!!" Jaden snapped.

"What would be all over Jaden?"

The argument spawned by love died out instantly as brown and hazel eyes met eleven other pairs. They were staring at their friends, who were sitting on the shore next to various winged beasts who were currently grazing next to them. Jaden's mouth opened and hung there for a few minutes, so I intervened.

"How did you all get here...? Ahh, Melody. Why did you come?" I wondered. Her eyes blazed with passion.

"My cousin was in danger," she said slowly. "Of course I'd come. Jaden's like my best friend. I'll always be there for him, and I know he'll do the same thing for me!"

Said cousin was staring at her as if she was a ghost, his aura a peculiar shade of red-gold, hinting an in-depth conversation with his evil half. Something shifted, and suddenly he hid his aura and sent me a nasty glance, as if he had sensed my prodding. I frowned, what was going on here?

"Mels," he gently answered, landing softly next to her and placing Alexis down. Adria and Atrus pulled themselves onto land and shook their wet hair out. "You don't need to worry about me, I won't leave you."

She turned nodded at him, chancing a very small grin. "I repeat, what's going on Jaden?" Zane coolly inserted. "And why are _they_ here? Aren't they the ones who hurt you and Alexis?" He pointed at the two merpeople. "And where's the third?"

"She's dead," Melody simpered without much actually anger. I could tell that she had decided to stop mourning and keep holding on already. "She died saving your school and the students. She was only seventeen years old and now she's gone."

The others seemed to be phased at the emotion obscuring Melody's normal cheery tone. Jesse stood up silently and put his hand on her shoulder as Jaden watched him. Jesse's feelings were practically screaming at me, he seemed to be incredibly worried about the younger teen. "The two of you—Jaden and you—know them, don't you?"

She nodded simply and abruptly muttered, "I'm so tired of crying."

Jaden took that as his cue to take over the conversation. "Jesse, we knew these guys for a long time, they were just forced into that... situation on the boat last time by the Queen of Everlost. She had captured the other rebels hiding out in Everlost along with several of their parents. She had threatened to kill them if they didn't cooperate."

Understanding showed in his emerald eyes, though he did not approach the merpeople, he sent them a bright smile. Axel stepped forward and spun Jaden around so that they were face-to-face. I slowly approached them, ready to separate the two boys at any time. "You didn't answer the first question: What would be all over? And why?"

Jaden's eyebrows curved downwards slightly and he stared right back into the duelist's eyes. "I can't tell you."

"Why not?" Syrus wondered. I glanced over at him with amusement; he appeared to be recovering from some kind of a panic attack from riding over here. Jaden didn't seem quite so amused.

"I've already told you that there are some things that you shouldn't know for your own safety."

"Jaden, we just flew over here on _myths_ without any training or rebel guards in another world that seems to want to kill us, and _you're_ worried that some small piece of information will put us in _danger_?" Aster impatiently prodded. I decided now was time to intervene.

"That's enough," I said sharply. I felt Jaden half-glaring at Darkal and I out of the corner of his eyes. With a sigh, I turned to face the young heir and explained myself to him. "Jaden, if you had been... harmed... then Alexis would be the only person that could help us. You know that I would not deliberately put any of your friends in danger if there was another option."

He raised his eyebrows at me, then at Darkal. "And you?"

Darkal gave him a hard, but not unfriendly, glance. "Do you really have to ask?" Jaden shook his head, sending small drops of moisture everywhere.

"Not so fast there mate," Jim frowned, his arms folded across his chest. "We aren't going anywhere without some answers."

"I beg to differ," I ordered, flaring my wings open. "You may not be apart of the Rebellion, but as long as you are staying in our home, you _will_ follow our rules. Got that?"

Jim frowned, but didn't continue his protests. Zane stepped forward suddenly, putting his hand on Alexis and steering her away. "Jim's right you know Ms. Pronscea. We aren't going to go anywhere without answers of some sort, so I suggest you listen."

I made to prove my point, preferably by knocking him out, but Darkal held me back with a soft touch. He was looking at Jaden, who appeared to be pondering over an answer. All I could sense past his wall of defense was clear disgust, but not with his friends, with something else. I frowned curiously, but waited for him to speak.

"I'll answer some questions," he said after a pause. "But there are some that I won't. And I won't answer anything until we're back at the base."

The gang nodded. Zane helped Alexis up onto his Griffin, deliberately making sure Jaden was watching, and kneaded its sides with his shoes. The beast took off, and we all followed. I twisted to glance back at the merpeople, who were comfortably watching over the portal until they could change at night or be carried back. "I'll send over some people soon, they'll be here in forty-five minutes. Will you be alright?"

"Peachy," Adria nodded, waving at Jaden as he took off. Jaden gave them a casual wave back and followed the Griffin closely. "Zane seems to understand that Jaden won't leave Alexis," she commented airily. "I wonder what he's planning."

I agreed silently and faced Darkal. "Any ideas?"

He glanced at me out of the corner of his gray eyes. "He's seeing how defensive Jaden will act around Alexis; Zane knows that they aren't fallen anymore."

"You mean broken up?" Atrus corrected, moving his fingers in a shape of a heart. Darkal didn't look back at the sixteen-year-old.

"No." With that, I watched his wings tense and propel him skyward, following the keys to saving these worlds. I shook my head and bent down next to the sitting rebels.

"Don't mind him, he's always like that," I assured them. They shrugged.

"Don't worry, we're used to it. Jaden used to react like that whenever we tried to pry into his fight with Nick the first time." I didn't doubt that. "Good-bye Leader Allian."

"Good-bye rebels," I replied, giving them a short solute and them dashing into the air after my General and Co-Leader.

Darkal came into view of my raptor vision in a matter of seconds. He was intently staring off into the distance, over the wild branches of the Wayside Forest. His gaze took in every little aspect and detail, giving them new meaning that they had never held previously. Furiously, I dislodged those thoughts from my head. I would not allow myself to fall again!

My gaze naturally shifted over to Jaden's gold, red, and white wings. The rebels needed a strong leader, they needed someone who could make harsh decisions and lead them to victory in times of hardships. They didn't deserve someone who worried over past errors.

Suddenly, I felt something rushing out at us from behind. Without hesitating, I shouted a harsh sounding command and the animals carrying Jaden's friends dove downwards sharply. Jaden and Darkal recognized my call and spun to the left like fighter planes, just in time.

_BAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAANNNNNNNNNNG!! _

The blast knocked my companions backwards, filling the air with a magical static shockwave. Jaden's wings froze for a few seconds, making him drop down a good twenty feet before he could lift off again. Darkal's deep fallen angel wings deflected the shockwave easily and he pulled out his long sword with a notch at the end. I looked away pointedly, glaring at the form of our enemies.

I had put that notch there, as well as given him that scar across his right eye. At least his hair blocked that from my view, the sword was always a reminder of my treachery.

"Darkal, miyora deinta!" I shouted, coding our language. He nodded in that clinical way of his and locked his wings into place.

Jaden cursed below me when he saw who it was that we were fighting; scouts from the Overlord. "Damn it Nick!"

He took a jagged dagger out of its holder under his T-shirt venomously, ready to launch at them with my command. I blinked without actually missing a beat; I had never seen him use a dagger before in combat. Daggers were meant to kill, not to injure. But he didn't have his sword with him either; it wasn't exactly easy to swing it around underwater. My eyes searched him, the sense of wrong hanging all around the young rebel. "Hold back," I demanded firmly. His brown eyes widened slightly. He didn't argue.

That's my Jaden!

I knew I was being stupid just because I _thought_ something was wrong... I was putting Darkal and myself in danger. Now we were outnumbered twelve to two. Those are my kinds of odds.

With a loud battle cry, I launched myself at the first messenger, the one with all of the pretty bombs. He was down with a quick chop in the neck. Darkal smacked another's wings together harshly, making the demon drop like a stone, howling. Then he took out a throwing knife from his boot and chucked it at the third. It thunked into his forehead and then fell to the ground when the other burst into orange dust.

I made quick work of my second victim, driving my sword through his gut and then pulling it back out before he could dissolve. The next one slipped past both of us and charged after Alexis and Zane. She had a black bow in her clawed hands and pulled back on the string, releasing the deadly projectile towards the blonde.

It never came near her. Instead, it embedded itself in Jaden's left wing. He didn't scream or falter as the arrow came to a halt in one of his muscles. His eyes betrayed no pain, only fury that the messenger would even think to target his angel. While she was still miffed by his lack of reaction, Jaden took his dagger and swung it at her torso. She was barely able to block it with her ivory bow. Sparks flew off as the two continued to grapple with each other. She eventually had to drop the bow and draw her silver sword. Jaden put in a long slash across her face when she pulled out the weapon.

She didn't even flinch. Her long red hair billowed around them, making her look even more demonic than she already was. Despite this, Jaden was still losing bravely. Every time he was forced to move his wing to keep him aloft, he sank down a few feet and more crimson liquid trickled down his feathers. It was only a matter of time until that wing muscle gave out on him and he'd be falling towards the earth at a bone-shattering height. But if he fell now the messenger would have a free blow at Alexis and Zane behind him. Shit!

My eyes flickered over to Darkal quickly. He was struggling with three enemies and losing valiantly.

"Darkal!" I shouted, pumping my wings forward. If I could free him from the melee we could both take out the woman and catch Jaden when he fell. Another female enemy blocked my way. More were swarming towards Jaden's friends as every second ticked past. I dipped into my magic and cast a powerful illusion around them, making twenty more of the humans appear and two more me's. Illusions wouldn't help Darkal now, especially if they can see through them.

I weaved in and out of my clones, confusing the Night Faerie. It helped that her eyes were made to see in the dark and not in the light. I took a leaf out of Darkal's book and finished her with a throwing knife, charging at the others quickly.

They should've known better than to take on the two rebellion leaders and the guardian, what was going on?

Darkal grabbed something on one of his opponents' belts and made a weird gesture with his other hand. I recognized it as his unique brand of magic. Oh shit. "Take cover!!" I shouted to the humans that weren't hidden behind an illusion. The clones and originals complied, ducking their heads simultaneously.

_BOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOM!! _

Well, there go my illusions...

The ice grenade that Darkal had inflicted with his magic exploded, instantly freezing and killing his attackers without leaving a scratch on him. He held out his hand which now had a glowing black symbol on it and made the movement again, like he was pushing something away. Two enemies flew drastically off-course and right into the end of Melody and Jesse's swords. Jesse was shocked to say the least when the enemy that had been about to impale him (the real him) had suddenly disappeared into light. Melody shrugged it off with a quick shudder. Jaden was still sparring with the woman, who I now realized must have been their leader. Which left...?

I sensed him just as he launched his spiked whip at me. I locked my wings and dropped far below the weapon, circling under him and swinging my sword at him. He blocked it with the machete held in his other hand. Growling, I swung at him again fiercely. He blocked it again and countered. I feinted to the left and struck with precision to his right. He parried my blow! My eyes narrowed.

Enough of this.

An unearthly light surrounded my sword, shattering the machete on contact. The shrapnel pierced his heart and he died.

Darkal was a few feet ahead of me, watching the fight with Jaden and the messenger blankly. I fluttered over to him to yell at him for not helping, but then I heard what the human-dragon was saying.

"Why don't we finish what we started at your pathetic little human school, Guardian?" her eyes gleamed manically. "As soon as I'm done with you I'll finish off your precious little pets like I promised."

"Fuck off!" Jaden snapped back. "And leave my friends alone!" His eyes suddenly melted into gold and he dropped a few more feet. Now I knew why Darkal had stayed back. If we made the slightest mistake and ruined Jaden's focus, we'd be dealing with an enemy too great for the entire universe to handle.

The dragon-girl lunged forward at the opportunity to capture Alexis only to have Jaden surge up and push her back. Now his eyes were glowing with a fury that I could not define nor have ever before seen.

_"STAY—" _

The messenger was flung back with a flash of white light. I was barely able to force myself to stay back. Jaden was using his deadly power, you know, the one that could take over him at any second and destroy the freaking universe!

_"AWAY—" _

Another fresh burst of power from Jaden. The messenger flew a few feet away again with the Guardian right in front of her.

_"FROM—" _

This time Jaden wasn't playing around. He raised his hand and sent a nasty spasm echoing across the poor creature's body. Oh God, nothing deserved this kind of treatment. But I couldn't call out to him and give him a few choice words about his attitude. He just didn't have enough control for me to distract him with curses.

_"MY—" _

Strangely, he was shaking now. There was a hint of terror in his golden eyes as if he realized what it was that he was doing finally. The girl stopped convulsing in mid-air and managed to strike back at him with her talons. He blocked it with his ferocity returning. My eyes forced themselves away from Jaden's internal and external struggle and into the eyes of Alexis. They were wide with fear and concern... so she really did know everything... or almost everything.

_"FRIENDS!!" _

I whirled around just in time to see Jaden drive his dagger into the leader's stomach.

Time stopped. Jaden had never intentionally killed anyone before.

Then his wing crumpled and he fell towards the ground.

Seven-hundred feet below.

**(Time skip Jaden POV) **

I rested my wings out behind me, grateful that I did not have to pull them closer to my body. Holly was fussing around me, trying to see if I had been injured anywhere other than my wing and the deep bruises that decorated my skin from my brawl with the messenger.

I almost growled in aggravation. I had killed her. I didn't even know her name.

I knew she deserved it for what she tried to do to my friends on the beach in duel academy, to me on the boat, and for trying to kill Alexis just now, but still. I had killed her.

"You seem fine," Holly smiled after examining every feather on my wing (at least it felt like that). "Just be careful Jay, alright?" I nodded briskly and she walked away, closing the door behind her. My friends, who had been warily observing the pixie, finally came to my side and sat down beside me.

"What do you want to know?"

Zane, surprisingly, was the first to speak. "Why did Alexis know you were in trouble?"

_Wha? _

_Aren't they stunned that I just murdered someone right in front of them? _

**_She was an enemy, an enemy that tried to strangle you back at Duel Academy, Jaden. Her death was just in their eyes. _**

I muddled over that for a few minutes. Finally I turned to Zane. "Next question."

Zane glowered at me, but I ignored him.

"Okay, what did you mean by—?" Jesse started up.

"Next," Mels said for me. I attempted a smile at her and she managed to do the same for me. She looked so much older than she actually was. Her hair was limp and hanging in her face and her pink eyes lacked her usual spark.

"You need better answers!" Axel exclaimed angrily.

_Thinking about it, they all seemed to be much older, more weary and tired. _

"Ask a better question," I replied levelly.

_How long had we looked like this? Was it since the Dark World? No... I think it started when we were handed those seven keys three years ago and told that we could save the world... that's where all of this began. _

I looked up at Alexis softly, feeling her sympathy and heart rolling over my like gentle waves. _Now there are new, different keys... new worlds to save... new lives to lose... _

My eyes took in all of the people gathered in this room around me. These people were the keys to saving this world. They were the ones I needed by my side. These were the people that I loved.

"Jaden," Syrus whispered, examining me almost as closely as Holly had, "do you still love Alexis?"

I was taken aback by that question and jogged out of my daze. I felt my eyes widen and my jaw drop slightly, and that was all the answer Syrus needed.

"We already knew that anyway," my best bud continued. "Mystic told us that. And we know Alexis loves you, so why won't you allow her to get close to you? What's going to happen Jaden?"

Zane nodded in agreement, his eyes traveling from a worried Alexis to me constantly.

Way to ruin the Hallmark moment Syrus.

"You can't trust anything a demon says," I rebuked. "Especially _that_ demon."

"Oh? Then how did you really collapse that day?" Aster smirked. I glared at him, wiping the smirk right off his face.

"You want to know what happened to me. Fine!" I snapped. "That day in the gate was the one and only time Haou and I had ever been one and in control. In the gate, something that had a similar presence to Haou attacked me and stabbed into my heart sending enough dark energy to separate my two halves again. I was dying in the gate, but I was numb I didn't feel anything until a nurse duel-monster spirit and Maiden of Aqua helped me. The nurse spirit tried to heal my wound, but could only heal my heart because of the powerful energy."

I was on my feet now, pacing back and forth with my wings rigid. Their eyes watched me like hawks.

"And I've been struggling against Haou ever since. The closer I let any of you get to me, the more Haou fights to push you away."

**_That covers your snappish attitude,_** Haou nodded.

"It just finally got to the point that even being with Alexis was causing him to stir and start to take control. I didn't want us to end! You all knew that, I knew that, hell, _she_ knew it!! And when I saw her so hurt, and when I knew that it was me that did it, no matter even if I was protecting her from both Haou and the other worlds, it tore me apart. I couldn't keep my grip on sanity for much longer, so I left until I was far away and couldn't hurt anyone while I struggled with Haou!"

**_The break-up, the fact that you love her... Good Jaden. _**

"I can't remember most of what happened other than plenty of pain. The next thing I knew, Alexis was holding me. I was too tired to talk by then and couldn't stand the betrayed and concerned look in her eyes, and then I blacked out again. When I woke up, I was in Mels's house, I had no idea how I got there, and Nick was watching me. In case you haven't figured it out by now, Nick's bad news and I knew it. He was threatening your lives, I reacted, and Mels screamed, you all poured out, Nick tried to send us to the Overlord's castle, I changed the gate's direction with Haou's powers, and we woke up in Cliff's Drops. End of Story."

Somewhere in my narration I had started gathering anger, so when I looked up at them, they gasped and backed away. I blinked in confusion before catching sight of my reflection in Sy's glasses. Gold eyes, lovely.

**_Just helping you prove a point. I don't need them all needling where they shouldn't be and trying to help you stop me, do I? _**

_Do you ever do anything just because it's the right thing to do? _

**_...You're an idiot. _**

_That's what they keep telling me. _

"Don't worry about that, guys, sometimes it happens when I get worked up," I explained with a deep breath. I sat back down and allowed my body to relax until I was sure I had my own brown irises back.

"Interesting," Bastion braved. Now everyone was staring at Alexis to see what her reaction would be. Crap. I hope she can act.

"Jaden?" her lips barely moved as she said my name. Her beautiful eyes welled up with false tears. "Is that all true?"

I looked away from her. "I said too much."

"You never really did know when to stop," she said with a small laugh. I let a small smile grace my lips. "I'll wait for you Jaden. I love you."

"I know Alexis, but I..." I trailed off, adding to the tension. All of our friends were watching us like vultures who had just found a particularly juicy piece of meat. "I don't want you to love me, you deserve more." Actually, part of that was true, and she saw it in my eyes. "I don't want you to get hurt."

"I already am," she softly countered. "I'm hurt over losing you. The real you Jaden. I know he's in there somewhere, and I intend to bring him back."

"Alexis... please just listen to me this once."

"Jaden," Alexis echoed. "I will, but only because I love you. Just tell me what you feel for me now, please. That's all I want from you."

"Alexis, it doesn't matter what I feel for you," I answered naturally. "It won't change where we are... who we are. I can't love you; it's too dangerous for you."

Her gaze hardened. "Can't or won't? I don't care how dangerous it is Jaden; I love you too much to care. Please, don't throw away your happiness for me."

"I'd say yes, I'd tell you that I'd stand with you forever... I really would..."

"Jaden, I'll be there with you through everything... even if saving you sends me to heaven," Alexis whispered gently. "I'd be happy to die to save you. I love you! How many times do I need to say it so that you'll believe it?! A thousand? A million?"

Her beautiful presence seemed to fill the room as I listened to her steps approaching me. I felt her had gently caress my chin and turn my face to see her eyes. She was being dead serious.

"Lex... I can't put you in that kind of danger. I can't let you get hurt, any of you."

"Why? Why won't you let me in Jaden?" Alexis questioned. She closed her eyes and turned away as if in pain. "Why won't you let me share your burden?"

"Because I love you..." I said almost at a whisper. Everyone was staring at me now, but I didn't care. This discussion had stopped being an act too long ago for me to lie my way out of it.

"What?" Alexis asked, hope shining in her eyes.

"I said I love you... that's why I won't let you get close to me. That's why I won't let anyone here get close to me. Mels doesn't even know me as well as you all think." Mels appeared slightly affronted, but nodded after digesting my words. How could she know so little and so much at the same time?

"You did let us in Jay," Syrus inserted suddenly. "You did that a long time ago. I don't know how we're going to get you to listen to us, but understand that we aren't going out without a fight."

"Show me how to listen," I answered. Now Syrus appeared flabbergasted. It was Axel who spoke up this time.

"We're still here, by your side right at this moment, aren't we?"

I glanced at Axel blankly through my bangs, reminding myself of the Queen briefly. My eyes flickered briefly towards a certain female in the room before turning away again. "You are. But you just want answers."

"And why would we want those answers?" Zane pressed me. I managed a small annoyed glare.

"Several reasons, most of them unkind."

"Jaden, we're you're friends," Jesse frowned. "We'd never do anything to hurt you willingly."

"But I might," I replied, waiting for their reactions. "I don't know how long I can manage to control myself. Here Allian and Darkal can help me to contain it, but you guys will only get hurt."

"We saved you from Haou the first time mate," Jim reminded me, tipping his hat to show his bandages. I flinched at the memory.

"And more than half of you caused it to happen," I shot back nastily. Instantly, I regretted this. I didn't want to hurt them anymore, but these things just keep slipping out!

...Just how fast was I obeying the Queen's orders? Shouldn't I be able to fight it or at least delay it?!

In my head, I knew the answer but my heart wouldn't accept it. I just couldn't do that to her, to the Rebellion... to the world for Kuriboh's sake! It just wasn't fair!

I almost snorted loudly at that thought. I knew better than anyone that life wasn't fair.

"Jaden, stop biting our heads off," Aster remarked. "We're only trying to help you."

"I'm sorry guys. I don't mean most of the things that I say to you... but they just keep slipping out."

"You're still trying to push us away, Jaden. Some small part, or maybe even most of you, doesn't want us involved in your life. You'll always push away our friendship as long as that part remains," Pegasus suggested.

The door suddenly creaked open. We all looked around to see the newcomer. "Now that the humans are done playing twenty questions," a rude voice cut across us. I glared up at Lucian who was standing in the open doorway, letting him see my dislike clearly. "Allian has some questions for you Guardian."

"Stop calling me that!" I snapped at him. He shifted his wings idly, his gaze lingering on Alexis.

"So emotional you humans," Lucian said in a candid manner. He pointed as finger at Mels, who was glaring at him intensely for calling me that. She shot him a finger back too.

You can guess which one.

A smile came on my lips even though I tried to hold it back. "I'll be there in a sec."

"As you wish Guardian," Lucian said in a mocking manner. Mels made mocking motions at him behind his back, obviously too worn out to properly think about what she was doing.

The door swung closed swiftly and silence fell like a blanket of snow. "So... Mels, how'd you get the animals to fly on?"

"Alice and Gravelon were teaching me earlier. I had already learned most of the tune from Angela, but I don't know all of the commands. Like, I don't know how to make them stop without landing."

"That could be bad," Jesse commented with his hands tangled in his teal hair. "So aren't you going to yell at us for being stupid and flyin' across a weird world where everyone wants to kill us?"

"Nope," I replied with a shrug. "That is, if you don't do it again I won't."

"I know I'm in no hurry!" Syrus exclaimed loudly, breaking the awkward tension. I watched with a slight smile against my face, my actual emotions well hidden from almost any person in this room. I felt horrible on the inside for what I was going to have to do to them, for what was going to happen to me when I disobeyed the Queen and waited out the fortnight. I just didn't know how I was supposed to follow her orders; they didn't make sense at all!

**_They make perfect sense. Just do as she says before the two weeks are over or let me do it for you. _**

_Why would I do that?! _

**_Because you won't destroy everything this way. _**

_And you won't if I let you out? _

**_It's going to happen soon anyway if you cannot fulfill her demands Jaden. We are bound to her completely. _**

_Shut-up already! _

**_It's the truth. _**

Haou had won this battle, but I still refused the notion of letting him loose. There just had to be some other way out of this! "Hey guys, I've gotta go see Allian now to get chewed out. Talk to you in a few if I'm still breathing." I walked out of the room, leaving that life behind me and reminding me just how much I was losing.

**(Alexis POV)**

Jaden was very quiet and still, staring out into the stars like I had found him not so long ago. He was scowling at the lights as if they had mocked him and his fists were clenched at his sides. I simply stood there at the entrance to the Rebellion and watched him. This had been the first chance I've had all day long to speak with him alone, but now I'm hesitating?

I fingered Lillian's diary in my pocket softly, wondering how I should approach him. He shifted his weight onto his right hand and twisted around to look at me. "Are you going to stand there all night Lex? Why don't you come next to me?" He patted the ground next to him.

I smiled, there was my Jaden. He started playing with my hair with his fingers as I held him close, consumed by the urge to embrace him. I could feel his cheeks lifting in a smile against my hair. I knew I needed to talk to him about what I had read, but I just didn't want to ruin this moment. I can't describe the feelings that I receive when I'm in Jaden's arms, I just feel as though the entire world could be collapsing around us and we'd still make it through.

"Jaden..." I started finally. His eyes were closed gently and a small smile graced his lips. I almost lost the nerve to tell him what I had found out when I saw that look. He was so happy now, happier than I had seen him in a long time. Who was I to go and ruin that moment?

But I have to know...

"Jaden, why didn't you tell me?"

He turned to face me, confusion etched across his face. "Hmm?"

I suddenly realized that he probably had no idea what I was thinking about at this time. It was impossible to assume that he would be able to pick out something in my head like this. Then something struck me. "Wait, you never read Lillian's entire diary did you?"

He hesitated, and then shook his head. "It was really hard... for me to do something like that. I wasn't ready to accept the fact... that she was gone yet. Reading her thoughts just made it seem too final, too painful... I could only get through about half of it before I couldn't take it anymore... Why? What did her diary...? Oh."

He understood now. Wordlessly, I took out the small goldmine and flipped to the marked pages. "Chris wrote you something in there too." He took the journal with shaking hands and silently read over the words his twin friends had written to him.

I devoted myself to watch his eyes for those tense minutes, noting how he was mainly stunned by their words. He looked up at me slowly, worried. I repeated my question to him. "Why didn't you tell me?"

"I didn't want you to worry over something like this..."

"'Something like this'!? 'Something like this'?!" I burst, wanting to slap him, but retaining myself when he kept my gaze. Jaden pulled me closer until I was pressed against his chest and made calming noises into my hair. Only then could I feel the tears cascading down my cheeks. "When are you...?"

"I'll be somewhere between eighteen and nineteen."

"That's less than two years! Why is this happening?" I asked quietly. He pushed me away so that he could see my face. With a heavy sigh, he started to explain.

"Alexis, it's the choice I've made. What I am... it's difficult to explain. My power, Haou's power, is too strong to be kept in my mind. I contained it for a long time ever since it was woken, ten years, and it slowly ate away at my life force. I don't feel it happening, but it's there. My power is always trying to find a way out ever since the medallion tampered with my connection to Haou. Parts of it slip out all of the time, but they're too small to trigger a complete release. They leech power from elsewhere though, mainly my life."

"Why?"

He paused for a few seconds, trying to come up with an answer. "It's the only thing that's the closest match to its strength I guess. It's a very slow process, but it will eventually kill me, unless I let out my power that is. That's why my ancestors only discover their power when they take the throne I guess; because that's the only time that it's awake. Until the time that they become evil after they're worn down by it until they're too weak to fight it off... like my dad. That's part of the reason very few people know that I'm going to die, in my last moments I'll be my weakest and my power could be easily tipped to take over me before I left."

"That's not fair," I suddenly inserted, feeling childish. "You either destroy the worlds or destroy yourself? That's just not right."

"Life isn't fair Alexis," Jaden replied. "But that doesn't matter to me. I don't care if I have to die young if that means I have a chance at saving the worlds, saving you. That's the difference between me and Nick; I'm not afraid to die for what I love and believe in."

"I'm afraid for you to die... I don't know what I'd do without you Jaden."

"You won't have to," he said soberly. "I wasn't going to tell you this until things had settled down... but if I die in that way, so do you. We're permanently bonded by my power as long as you still love me, no matter how hard I want to break it."—he closed his eyes and took a deep breath—"I just love you too much. I don't want you to have to deal with everything I have to. It's selfish to keep you to myself when I should be able to let you go."

"It won't change anything, because I'm selfish too Jaden. No matter what you do, I'll always love you."

**_"It was love that brought them together, and love that tore them apart,_**" Jaden commented. I raised an eyebrow and he finished. "It's part of the prophecy Lex."

"Mind telling me that?"

"One earth-shattering thing at a time Lex." He was smiling again, tussling his brown hair with his free hand. I shifted so that I was lying across his chest and gazed out at the stars.

I couldn't believe it, we were actually kidding around about something this serious?! What kind of people are we? Does love really blind us so much that we can't actually see the tragedy of our own death?

"Wait, why didn't you die back in the Dark World then?" I inquired suddenly. "I loved you then."

"When I said 'if I die in that way' I meant that that's the only way it works. Like if I was suddenly to jump off this cliff and go splatter-art on the ground, you wouldn't die too."

"Why?"

"Dunno."

"Oh." I looked away from him to hide my disappointment. I didn't want him to have to live without me or visa-verse for even the briefest of moments.

"You want me to tell you how I found out, don't you?"

I nodded slowly in response. Everything I learned about Jaden was something I cherished, something that could not be replaced.

"I found this out when I was thirteen..."

_(Flashback) _

_Holly fussed around Chris and I, muttering darkly. We had been messing around outside and we kind of flew into the side of the cliff. Yeah, I know, we're idiots. _

_"Idiots," Lillian scoffed with perfect timing. I swear that she can read my mind sometimes! _

_"But we're your idiots!" Chris grinned at her. I laughed and flashed my victory sign. She rolled her eyes, but she was smiling. Her delicate fairy wings shimmered briefly, as if she couldn't decide whether or not to be annoyed or amused by our brigade of stupidity. _

_Holly moved onto me and examined a nasty scratch on the side of my head curiously. She then did her magic; working her way into my subconscious and ordering new cells to be made or something like that (she tried to explain it to me once but lost me after a few minutes). _

_She gasped loudly before she was knocked over by some invisible force. I blinked, half expecting it to be Alice messing around again, but Lillian was suddenly running at me. Before I could comprehend what was going on, she had me pinned to the examining table. _

_"Give Jaden back!" she shouted in my face. _

_"Huh?" I said. "I am Jaden." _

_"No your not! You're his nasty other half! Let Jaden go!" Lillian snarled, tightening her grip on my wrists. _

_"Lillian, it's me!" I argued. "If I wasn't me (if that's even possible) than you'd be dead instead of pinning me down!" _

_It was her turn to blink, the shade of red from her eyes vanishing. "Wha? Jaden? But then why are your eyes...?" _

_"Why are my eyes what? Swollen? Cuz I flew into a big rock!" I reminded her cheerily. "And it hurt! Not that it wouldn't hurt, but you never know. Allian was always saying that the reason that our bird-bone-things are so strong is cuz we've been flying into things for, like, ever..." _

_If anything, that senseless babble convinced her it was me. She crept off of me and Chris helped Holly to her feet. "What's going on?" he asked the pixie nervously. She walked over to me and took a small mirror out of her pocket. I looked at my reflection and gasped. My eyes weren't very friendly looking to put it simply. _

_They were gold. _

_"What? Do I wear contacts without knowing it?" I blurted out like an idiot. _

_"No Jaden, I found something in your mind and it didn't like my presence," Holly answered, her jaw set squarely. "I just encountered your other half for the first time." _

_"What were you doing in that part of my mind?" I said, suddenly suspicious. _

_"I wasn't in that part of your mind!" she snapped back. Uh-oh, she was only touchy when she had really bad news. "I was looking around your life-force to see if you had damaged anything when your head hit the mountain at God knows what speed! I sensed something strange and went to investigate, but the small source of it knocked me right out of your head!" _

_"That sounds funny," Chris said unexpectedly. Then he paused as if remembering something. "Hey! Remember when you finally caved and told us what you remembered from Everlost?" _

_"Yeah," I answered as Holly did her magic again. This time I felt her tendril of consciousness enter mine rather aggressively and start to wrestle with something. Talk about a headache. _

_"Your eyes were gold then Jay!" Chris and Lillian exclaimed at the same time, making then seem more like the twins that they were. I twitched strangely as Holly continued to assault the 'disturbance' inside my head. No jokes please. _

_Just then, everything went a bit fuzzy. A strange sound passed from Holly's lips, and then she took her hand away from the side of my head. She was staring at me with surprise, and then she scooped me up in her arms and cried. I went rigid as the rock that I had hit earlier. Holly never cried. She has seen worse things that anyone in the Rebellion, she's watched people heal and die here. And now she was crying over me. _

_"Holly?" I asked. Lilly and Chris were scared behind me, I could feel it. "Holly what's wrong?" _

_She held me tighter. "Oh, little Jaden, why are you pushed like this?" she choked out between tears. Now she was really starting to scare all of us. Lillian wormed her hand into mine and squeezed it tightly. _

_"Holly, what's wrong with Jaden?" she demanded. Holly shook her head. "What's wrong with my boyfriend Holly!?" _

_"Get Allian and Darkal Christopher," Holly said, refusing to answer. "Get them and come quickly. This is important. We need a plan." _

_Chris looked like he was going to argue, but left anyway. He hid any feelings from us, keeping his wings black. He was the only fairy that could do that to the extent of my knowledge. Holly was still crying rivers, making her pink dress have a drowned look to it. _

_"Pixies don't cry," Lily said suddenly. "They never cry. I read that somewhere, in one of the books. It said they can't cry." Her gaze fell on Holly expectantly. _

_"We don't cry, Lily," Holly answered. "We mourn." _

_"That's the same thing!" Lily answered crossly. _

_"It's not," she replied. "Crying can happen at any time. You can cry if you're happy, if you're sad, if you're hurt. Mourning is... the show of grief... at someone previous or imminent... death." _

_We both stopped. Then suddenly Lillian was also crying. She latched onto me like she wasn't ever going to let go. I didn't know what to do; I was only a teenager for Kuriboh's sake! Allian and Darkal walked in at this moment with my close friend. I suddenly started crying too. If I died that meant I'd leave these guys behind. _

_"What's going on?" Darkal crossly commanded. He was never the type to be moved by this type of thing. Allian seemed to know something was wrong, then again, she was supposed to know. That's what angels do, they can tell right from wrong like I can tell when it's lunch time... _

_"I'm dying," I said, my voice small and scared. They stood there, stunned. _

_(End flashback... I'm dead again... or gravely injured...) _

"Lillian died the next day," Jaden spoke up lowly. I was startled enough to look up at him. His eyes were closed. "I was supposed to be first. I was supposed to be the first to die. I have an expiration date, she didn't. She wasn't supposed to die like that... It's just not..."

"Jaden," I consoled smoothly. He opened his heavenly brown eyes to look at mine.

"I'm sorry," he apologized suddenly. I glanced up at him past my lashes. He leaned in and pressed his lips against my cheek. "I'm always saying the bad things aren't I? Things aren't always so bad, like right now for example." He was smiling at me softly in the darkness.

I snuggled closer to him in response. "Jaden, I'm glad that I make you happy. You always brighten my mood and fight for my safety; it's just nice to know that I can do something for you too."

He gave me a weirdly serious look. "Lex, you always do something for me."

"Huh?" I asked as he brushed his bangs away from his eyes.

"You're always there for me Lex. There have been plenty of times that I've been ready to give up, and you always managed to snap me out of it and keep me fighting. You didn't even know then how dangerous it was for me to give up! You were a great friend, so loyal and beautiful. You could be harsh sometimes, but I still loved you... even if I didn't recognize it until I thought I lost you. Lex, I've had a rough life. Sure, I've had my laughs and my adventures, but it was never different. I was _forever_ lost, just waiting and hiding out from the Overlord until my days were up and I couldn't hurt anyone again. I was just trying to be myself, as much of myself as I could, and prove to me that I wasn't really a monster. You showed me that Alexis. You saved me. You loved me."

"I... I don't know what to say," I admitted. Never before have a heard a more beautiful proclamation than this. His heart was laid out before me with such tender words and his love was so real, so pure.

"Lex, there's a place in your heart that no one else has been, will you take me there?" Jaden sweetly whispered. His hands moved to caress my cheeks and dry any remaining tears from my face. I managed to smile at him.

"You're already there. You've been there for a long time Jaden. And you're never leaving it."

Our lips sealed the accord. We both melted into each other, feeling the other's breaths and heart racing. He breathed out and I breathed in. It was like someone had just put together two pieces that completed the puzzle, and now we were whole. We had no secrets left to give out or hide; we were truly the Guardian Angel now.

"You know Alexis," he whispered between kisses. I seized his lips in a fiery passion, rendering him incomprehensible for a few minutes. "I've never felt so... exposed before. You know everything."

"Damn right I do," I teased him, kissing his cheek. He laughed for a few golden moments.

"I like it," he admitted angelically. Then he took my hands I suddenly felt it again, that presence that lived deep within my lover. It was swirling, unraveling as we sat under the stars tonight on top of the world. I sensed thoughts racing at unthinkable speeds in Jaden's mind, sometimes in Haou's voice and others in his own.

_Alexis... _

_I love her so much... _

**_–betrayed—_**

_Why'd she stop? _

**_Allian!!_**

**_Two weeks _**

_Is she alright? She looks— _

**_Lex!! _**

**_Haou! Stop it! _**

**_Mels!! _**

**_Kill me before it's too late! _**

I reacted to this senseless hullabaloo of noise by slapping Jaden as hard as I could across the face. He froze mid-kiss, his cheek glowing red. His expression was confused. "Lex?"

"Jaden!" I shouted, tackling him into a bear-hug. "Something's wrong, isn't it?! You're in some kind of trouble!"

"When aren't I in trouble?" he grumbled for a second and then righted the both of us. His expression still stayed bewildered and his eyes were radioed onto mine. "There's nothing wrong... you know, except for the whole 'we're slowly dying and stuck in another dimension' thing."

His voice and eyes held the truth, or what looked like it anyway. "I just thought that I could only hear..."

He tensed up suddenly. "What did you hear? What was **_it_** saying to you Lex?"

"It wasn't you?"

"No," he answered quickly, his eyes blazing. "Alexis, what did it tell you? Was it Haou or his power? Did he hurt you?"

"It said 'Kill me now before it's too late!' and other things, mainly names," I replied slowly, unable to look away from the fury that was trapped in his eyes.

"I can't even enjoy a personal moment with you without something like this happening!" he snarled at the heavens, turning to the west and glaring in the distance. I remembered from a map I had seen that the capital city was in that direction. He calmed down after some unsteady heartbeats. "All right then... maybe Haou was being sarcastic? Probably not, but you never know. Or—?"

"Never mind," I promptly inserted. He blinked at my sudden change of mind. His eyes cleared of the slight angering bloodlust and he waited for an explanation. I didn't have one. "Just promise me something, alright?"

"Sure, Lex, anything," Jaden replied, his expression a bit odd. His smile seemed sincere but his eyes were rather calculating, as if he was trying to gain insight into my thoughts and disengage the information I had just witnessed.

"Promise me that you'll die first," I answered evenly. His reaction was strange. He shot straight up, unfolding his wings in surprise, and his mouth dropped into a comical "O".

"Wha—why would you say something like that?!" he shouted a bit loudly. I slowly stood up and rested my head on his chest. He tensed below my fingertips and I knew that he was desperately trying to block me from seeing his power twirling within him. I had no doubt that his thought were racing at incomprehensible speeds anyway.

"Because I never want you to be alone." I smiled at him thoughtfully. He opened his mouth to argue with me, his brow furrowing like it always did when he was confused, but I pressed my lips against his to effectively shut him up. He refused to react, which was a first. But he didn't push me off either. "Just promise me okay?"

He moved his face away from mine and looked me straight in the eye. For the first time in eternity, he completely dropped his guard. "Alright Alexis. I promise that I'll be the first to die... Even if I don't like it."

I smiled radiantly at him, and he grinned meekly back. "How about you tell me some pointless funny stories now?"

"You got it!" he cheered. "Let's see... I know! There was this one time that Atrus and Chris came over with my other friends for New Years Eve and Atrus had just tried some of my mom's hot sauce! (Really spicy by the way, don't eat if even if your life depends on it) He was running around like a moron, fanning his mouth. Then his eyes started watering and he starting screaming like he was dying, 'AHHHHHHHHHH! I'M LEEEEEEEEEAAAAAAAAAKKKKKING!' Everyone just stopped and stared at him and then we all burst out laughing..."

**(Nick POV) **

I stared down at my army below me with pleasure, taking in all stony faces of my hardest soldiers. Messengers gleaned up at me with their distorted bodies and minds, gargoyles clanked their stone clubs together, fallen angels swarmed around above, chanting in their strange language. Several mixed breeds gnashed their teeth at the surrounding civilians, who looked like they had been slapped with a wet noodle and forced to tango with Godzilla. In other words, stunned and flabbergasted.

I smirked out at the crowd boldly, daring them to defy me or my army. They scattered with my harsh glance and the bloodlust of my ruthless followers. **_"Today we move out to another town, another city!"_**—they all cheered as if Christmas had come early—"**_And we come closer to the day that the Rebellion will finally be thwarted, removed, dispatched..." _**

_"Murdered!" _one of my men shouted above the uproar. My smirk widened.

"**_Indeed murdered,"_** I encouraged them cynically. **_"Even if we have to burn down that forest to drive them out!" _**

The pleasing sound of blood-driven approval reached my keen ears. I knew now more than ever that there was no way in heaven or hell that I would be stopped. No, the Rebellion would finally fall and I could finally get my hands on Jaden's little angel, his _power_. With them dragged by my side like pathetic dogs, I would be unstoppable. The Queen would be overthrown, the world destroyed, and I would reign victorious over their rotting corpses. Speaking of which, I had a little visit to pay with Allian Pronscea. She and her 'partner' Darkal will be on my list... the list to leave their spirits reliving the moment for eternity.

My army moved quickly and efficiently, covering ground in half the time I had expected them to. Perfect, everything was going according to plan. Now we could reach our goal much more quickly. Or so I thought.

"Sir!" shouted one of the soldiers. Instantly, I adjusted my wings so that the air currents flipped me around and drew my sword. The soldier was pointing to the far west moon where a barely discernable shape was moving rapidly towards the Millennia Forest that we had been straddling. Even with night vision I was barely able to make out the moon glittering off of black scales.

"(Insert swear-word of choice here)." But I knew it was too late. The traitor of a dragon was soon gliding easily past the invisible barrier that kept me from flying over there and wrecking havoc myself. I cursed again when several smaller shapes flittered past the leaves as well. I had been crossed.

Not that I wasn't expecting it from Christopher Lessinhop, I had known about him since the day he came to my throne.

I had known who his sister was.

I had known I had killed her.

And I had known he knew it too. This made tormenting him these past years all the sweeter.

I had ordered my elemental about the possibility that the young fairy would attempt a break-out. It appeared as if I had another traitor in my midst... a must larger one than I expected. "Damn those rebels!" I snarled venomously, all too aware of the powerful black aura slipping over me. I felt the sting of fear from my men and a few of the prisoners who were still within range of me.

I felt the air grow cold and heard the wind become still. The small animals that had been hoping around cheerfully before had become deathly quiet as the leaves on their homes slowly curdled to ashes. **_"There has been a change of plans,"_** I informed all of my troops, including the last of those in the coming cities, **_"we shall all meet together at the end of the Millennia Forest in two cycles of the sun. Be there or face death by my hands." _**

**DUH-DUH-DUNN!!**

**THE DRAMA UNFOLDS AS JADEN'S DAYS ARE NOW NUMBERED NOT ONLY BY HIS DEATH, BUT BY NICK'S APPROACHING ARMY!! **

**WILL JADEN BE SAVED??**

**OR WILL HE BE (gasp) KILLED BY HIS VENGENCE-FILLED COUSIN?!**

**R&R PLEASE!**


	26. Queen

10,375 words!! (WITHOUT THE BEGINNING AND END NOTES)

**SORRY GUYS!! I HAVEN'T UPDATED IN, LIKE, EVER, BUT SUMMER IS HERE SO I CAN UPDATE FASTER!! THANKS FOR WAITING!**

**(readers put down their WMDs)**

**I dedicate this to all of you, especially Nikki-chan with her threats to keep me writing...**

**DISCLAIMER: I DON'T OWN ANYTHING EXCEPT FOR THE PLOT AND MY OC'S!!**

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**Chapter 24**

Green life curdled to ashes as he flew past the trees. Flowers wilted, leaves dissipated, and bark peeled off the swaying trees. Never before had the forest experienced fury to this degree. Animals fled from the presence of the Overlord and his troops storming their home in various locations, spreading the word of the infiltration with their loud songs and calls. A bird, startled from its home when a troop cleaved his way past a bush, frantically flew away from the man with purple eyes so dark they were almost black ordering, **"We stop for nothing."**

The poor creature fled into the safe parts of the forest, cradled by the loving hands of the angels. When it finally came to a rest, it was in the smooth pale hands of a woman who looked no older than thirty. Her long blonde hair shone brightly in the dawning sun and her eyes were soft.

"What happened dear one?" she wondered gently, listening intently for any sounds. She felt... death. Death was in her forest. Who was the cause of this? "Brian!"

Another angel appeared out of the trees, his wings pulled in tightly on his back. "Elaine?" he said. "What's going on?"

The bird was offered in his gaze and then Elaine's hand pointed deep within the forest. "Something is slaughtering the wildlife quickly."

Brian nodded, spreading out his pure white wings. "It seems that the Overlord has finally made his appearance in our home." Elaine Pronscea put the bird on her shoulder and faced the gloom ahead.

The dove nudged her golden hair briefly and then took off again, back in the direction that it had come. Elaine and Brian tailed it from behind, barely making a sound. With every passing minute the overpowering scent of decay filled their senses and the sounds of tense wings and the swirl of weapons grew stronger. The bird veered sharply up, driving the pair of angels above the canopy of trees. They burst from the browning leaves without so much as a sound to observe this party from above.

The soldiers had formed a defensive ring around Nicholas Yuki and were flying at speeds close to one-hundred-miles-per-hour, an impressive feet for those so close to the ground. The Pronsceas slipped into a familiar jet-stream and pursued the intruders. With a curt nod towards Brian, Elaine angled her wings and sped miles ahead of the troops before disappearing into the safe-haven of trees in front of the Overlord's path. Brian took his backpack off of his back without missing a beat and seized a small round object with strange languages on it. Smirking, he dropped the ball so that it would strike the rear of the roughly three-thousand soldiers.

KABOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOM!

Wind exploded from the compact ball with enough force to dispatch fifty of the troops. As predicted, the army quickened its pace instead of stopping, which would be an excellent military action if his wife wasn't waiting ahead with more pretty traps. Which the party found out shortly.

"Arrggh!" one of the men shouted as he became ensnared in a poison-laced net. Several others met this man's fate and a few slammed into trees when they flew off course to avoid them. But it still wasn't enough! There were too many men; they just kept replacing the fallen to protect the Overlord, which the Pronsceas seriously didn't believe needed it.

Elaine's wings carried her farther and farther ahead of the rampaging army, willing her husband to understand her intentions and fall back to their home. She would need a distraction while she worked on this magic. Thankfully, Brian understood and locked his wings, falling far behind the army and her. She smirked coyly at the force miles behind her as if daring them to catch her.

When her wings brushed against the leaves this time, she was at the very edge of the monstrous forest. From her vantage point, she could not see the impending doom that was coming at her daughter's rebellion, full force. All seemed like any other day.

The herbs and chalk were out, the feathers of various creatures assembled. They were lined up by the careful hands of the angel in a peculiar spiral pattern before she snapped a branch off of a nearby Rowan Tree and attached one of her own feathers to the top. Swinging the staff with inhuman grace and agility, the angel started chanting a haunting tune of words of the old, and the last line of the forest hummed in response. Their protection over the forest may have not been enough to stop the Overlord, and neither would this, but the least that they could do was light them up like the forth of July and warn her child of the impending doom.

Now all she had to do was fly back over the barrier, and soon nothing would be able to get in or out until the Overlord's Army passed through.

* * *

**(Alexis POV)**

Something poked my arm softly while I was in bed and I let out a frustrated groan, turning over in my sheets and pulling my pillow over my head. Someone grumbled over my head and then the irrepressible voices of Mindy and Jasmine screamed right in my ear. "WAKE UP SLEEPING BEAUTY!"

"Waaagh!" I shouted and fell out of bed ungracefully. I landed on my shoulder blades and looked upside-down at the mirror shard held in Melody's hands. Jaden's cousin smiled sweetly at me and laughed softly.

"Your friends want to make sure you're alright Alexis," she said. "... And Mystic wanted to make sure that the merpeople got back safely and she told us that everyone is safe at the hotel. Atrus and Adria already left to sneak back into the human world through Everlost, and they say hi too."

I rubbed the sleep out of my eyes just as Mindy asked, "So Alexis, like, did Atticus beat up Jaden for what he did?"

"Did Atticus—? Oh, you mean the breakup. No, we're good. He just broke off to protect me."

"From what?" the pair asked at the same time, their voices sounding slightly strange from the mirror.

"Oh, you know, Haou, this world, another world, etc..."

Their eyes widened. "Okay girl, give us the dirt right now." I sweat-dropped and Melody handed me the mirror, her right eye twitching slightly.

"I'll go get Jaden," she offered meekly, obviously wanting to bolt away from whatever 'dirt' I was going to be giving my friends. For some reason I don't think she'd appreciate hearing about her cousin snogging me. I nodded and she fled down the boy's hallways at top speeds, leaving me to reluctantly discuss Jaden's predicament here and his quality of kissing.

* * *

**(With Melody)**

Alright, the last thing I need to hear is how much kissing Jaden and Alexis have been doing. I felt my spine tingle just when I thought about it. Jaden's my cousin, I'm hardly interested in his... err... kissing abilities thank you very much! I smiled at Alice as she walked by, chattering animatedly to Atticus and Bastion, and she waved at me and called, "Hey Mels, I was just taking Bastion to the library thing and Atticus is gonna help me set up a prank on Darkal and Allian! It's about time they got together! Wanna help?"

I halted in my tracks. Allian and Darkal? "I'm pretty sure they don't have a thing for each other," I carefully answered. But, of course, being the teenage girl that I am, I wondered.

"Trust the Master of Love!" Atticus announced proudly, draping his arm over Alice's shoulders. The sprite giggled and pulled the hyper teen away with her and Bastion.

"See ya around Melody!" she shouted back, dragging the two off in some random branched corridor. I let the smile descend off my face and continued my journey to my cousin's room in deep thought. Allian and Darkal... Allian and Darkal...

I couldn't seem to get a grasp on that concept. They both could be unbearable frosty I suppose, but Allian was louder and tended to shout more than Darkal, who was pretty level-headed and composed at most times. They could both be compassionate I presume, or at least I think so, I don't really know them very well, and they both lead the Rebellion. But... I don't know...

Well, there's always Jaden and Alexis, they're pretty opposite of each other except for a few things, but they're together and they're in love. And there's Adria and Atrus, who aren't together, but I think that Adria has developed feelings for the energetic merman. And it looks like Atticus and Alice might actually be getting pretty close as well... or they'll just become partners in crime here.

"Hey Melody!" a southern voice sounded from my right. I turned unconsciously and watched Jesse as he walked down towards me in shorts and a blue shirt. His hair was wet, so he must have just finished showering. Interested mildly, I watched some drops of water descend onto the pressed stone floor and darken it.

"Hey Jesse," I said simply, pausing until he was at my side. He smiled charmingly at me. "So what's up?"

"Nothing much," he answered, towel-drying his face before his two emerald eyes poked out from behind the cloth. "Just washing up, then I'm gonna try and wake up Jay."

"That's a battle I don't think we'll win," I said brashly, tinkering with the thought of attempting to wake up my cousin. If I remembered one thing from all of those years ago, it was that Jaden is an impossibly heavy sleeper. Jesse laughed with ease, his cute little duel spirit appearing on his shoulder. The purple Carbuncle jumped onto my shoulder a mewled at me intriguingly, prompting me to pet her head softly.

"This is true!" he exclaimed, finishing the drying process with his hair. I couldn't help but laugh when he emerged from it; he looked like he had gotten into a fight with hair gel and lost! He tilted his head to the side slightly, confused by my laughter. "What?"

"You're hair!" I managed to say, calming myself down. He continued to look at me funny.

"What about it?"

"Nothing, nothing at all!" I giggled, walking forward with my hands laced behind my head. He followed with only some hesitance, his towel now wrapped around his shoulders.

"Ruby seems to have taken a liking to you," he commented off-handedly, gesturing towards his little spirit-in-solid-form on my shoulder. "She only got along that well with me and Jay at first sight before! You must be somethin' special!"

Now it was my turn to cock my head at him. "Huh?"

Jesse picked up the sweet little girl on my shoulders and held her in his arms tenderly. "Ruby is a really sweetheart, but the gal's perty shy around new people. Jay and Kuriboh were the first that she trusted straight away other than myself. And she trusts you now too!"

Ruby nodded encouragingly and sprang onto the ground, scampering towards Jaden's room. Jesse laughed again, that sound that was hauntingly beautiful in this place so full of misery. I smiled weakly at my cousin's closest friend, actually happy now. Liz's death had come as a shock to me, a pretty big one considering the gravity of her death, and had left me paralyzed and unlike myself for what felt like a long time. I had told myself to keep holding on and to move past it, even forced myself to do it at most times, but it still hurt. Here there was no laughter. Here there was only war.

Here was my heart.

"Wake-up time Jay!" Jesse announced, kicking open the door with his foot. I hid my eyes, suddenly very aware that the other boys in the room may not be decent, but no startled calls reached my ears. Ever so carefully I peeked through my fingers and saw my cousin curled up in bed like a little kitten, his wings sprawled out awkwardly over the bed.

"He isn't used to sleeping with his wings," I commented when Jesse continued to stare at the strange position of Jaden's wings.

"I thought he said it felt natural to him," the bluenette wondered, tilting his head slightly and looking into my pink eyes piercingly. Shivers ran down my spine at his gaze, he seemed to be searching right through my very soul.

"They do," I was suddenly quiet again, unlike my usual loud self. I hated it. "Jaden just never had to sleep with his wings before now; he's not sure how to hold them like that if he's never had any experience."

Jesse nodded with a look of understanding and moved so that he was seated in one of the chairs scattered around the room. He flipped it around and rested his arms on the back, watching me unnervingly.

It's not like he freaked me out or anything, it's just would you be perfectly comfortable with someone staring at you like that with your sleeping relative in the room?!

I sure wasn't.

"What're you doing?!" I demanded hotly, pointing my finger at him accusingly. He raised an eyebrow at the extended pointer finger and contemplated it. Then he moved his emerald eyes up to me and said two simple words.

"Spill it."

"Huh?" was my completely bewildered response. He rolled his eyes slightly and then cringed as if expecting me to smack him like I had Chazz when we first met. I wanted to, trust me, but I just couldn't quite bring myself to act normally yet. I wasn't ready to stop mourning.

... Even if I wanted to.

"What's eating ya?" Jesse continued as if elaborating, his hand making motions in the air absently. I chose to watch that instead of his unusually piercing gaze. After a few minutes of tense silence, Jesse sighed and added, "You don't have to tell me anything off-limits, but I wanna help still. Jay has Lexi to cheer him up and I'm perty sure she knows everything. I think you need someone to talk to too."

"What are you suggesting Jesse Anderson?" I asked guardedly.

"That you need some heart-to-heart with a friend," he smiled again, blinding me with his cheery attitude. I let my guard down when he said friend. I had thought he was implying something in the romance department when he mentioned Jaden and Alexis. I guess not. "I can tell both you and Jay are hurtin' and it's not right that you can't open up to anyone. So I'm here if you need it, whether you just need to vent or whatnot."

"Why you?" I couldn't help but ask. It was in my Yuki nature to be curious, I blame genes alright!

He shrugged. "No one else was exactly offering. 'Cept maybe Pegasus, but it's easier to talk to someone your own age, right?"

"You're two years older than me."

He laughed, "You got me there. How 'bout closer to your age then?"

I smiled again, wow, that's a lot in one day here. "How about we try and wake up Jaden and then maybe we'll have a heart-to-heart talk, deal Anderson?"

He smirked and held out his hand to shake. "Deal Mels."

"Don't call me that! Arrgh! Why does everyone always call me that?!"

There was that laugh again.

"Maybe because they like it better than Melody."

"Oh? You've got a problem with my name?"

"No! It's not that at all—!"

"Sure it isn't Jesse."

"I'm just saying that Mels is easier to say and—!"

"So now you're just too lazy to add on two more measly syllables and call me by my beautiful given name? You should be the Slifer Slacker."

"Hey! I'm not saying that at all, I'm just trying—!"

"Well let's start on your name! It's a girls name too. So is that just the lazy person's way of saying 'Jessica'? Are you really just a girl in disguise dearest JessIE?I"

"Wha? Now you're just talking crazy!"

"Oh I'm crazy now am I?! Well at least I'm not too lazy to say someone's name the proper way Jessica!"

"My name's Jesse!"

"And aren't you from North Academy? Then why do you have a southern accent?!"

"Cuz I plum lived in America! Now come on gal, I'm not saying any of those—!"

"Gal?! So now you can't even address me as the lazy term for my name?! You've just invented a whole new low Jessica Anderson!"

A pause.

Laughter loud enough to shatter steel burst from our lips and we rolled on the ground together, too fanatical to breathe. Jesse fell out of his chair with a loud thud and clutched his sides, his face red from lack of oxygen. His eyes sparkled with tears of over-laughter as he looked in my direction. A new fit overtook him and he had to look away. I laughed and laughed like it was going out of style and didn't stop laughing until far after he was done. It just felt so good to be able to let go like this, to just have some liberation from my torments.

"Th-Thanks Jessica," I panted, accepting his helping hand up to my feet. "I needed that."

"No problem Mels," he replied with a chuckle. He hoisted me up easily and pointed to Jaden's still sleeping form. "I can't believe he slept through that."

"Believe it alright," I assured him, folding my arms across my chest. "This is Jaden we're talking about. He'd probably sleep straight through a hurricane!"

Jesse spared another chuckle before he decided to poke my cousin's wings animatedly in an attempt to wake up Jaden. The appendages twitched half-heartedly and Jaden mumbled something incoherent in reply, which prompted Jesse to do it again. The teen shifted and then rolled over, pulling his pillow over his eyes with a grunt. Jesse and I exchanged a glance before a light-bulb burst over my head. "I've got an idea!" I snatched Jaden's deck from his belt without him caring, since he was already aware enough to know it was only me, and searched for a certain card. I smirked when I drew it, then I slammed Elemental Hero Bubbleman down and asked him to soak Jaden all within a millisecond, and he complied.

"Mels!" Jaden screamed as he shot into the air and then back to the ground when he forgot to flap. His wet hair blocked his eyes from us as he landed at our feet, but I was pretty sure that he wasn't giving us a very friendly look at the moment. I giggled at my drenched cousin who had the appearance of a wet shaggy dog and then returned his deck to him. He scowled and muttered, "Using my own monsters against me... so cruel..."

"Since when was that anything new though?" I reminded him. "I used to do it all the time when we were younger."

"Used to," he mumbled. "That's the one thing I didn't miss..."

I put my hand over my heart and pretended to be wounded by the comment. "Oh, what pain your harsh words have bestowed upon my fragile heart!"

"Good!" he snapped, shaking his head so we both got wet too.

"Hey!" Jesse exclaimed playfully. "I already showered once!" Jaden glowered at him grumpily as Jesse passed him his towel to dry off. My cousin crossed his legs into an Indian-style position while he tried to get himself at least half-way dry. When he was done, he stood up and folded his arms across him chest before determinedly flopping back into bed, holding his deck safely.

"No fair!" Jesse burst, chortling again. I made shushing noises at him and rolled onto the heels of my feet innocently.

"Well then, I guess I'll just tell Alexis that you're too tired to see her..." I smirked as he popped back up again, his eyes wide.

"Huh? Alexis needs me?"

"Wants you," I giggled, playing with his head by emphasizing 'wants' in all ways dirty. A blush erupted across his face and he made a noise of protest to my antics. "What Jay? You don't want to disappoint her do you?"

"M-Mel—" his voice seemed to leave him half-way through my name because of his embarrassment. Jesse didn't seem to understand what I was implying by the bemused look on his features, but seemed to understand that it was funny because a smile was still glued on his face. Or maybe he was always smiling, I don't really know.

"She's waiting in her room, why don't you make her happy and show up?"

He was just staring at me, appalled and practically glowing red. His mouth hung open like a fish. Finally, and rather twitchily, he stood and left the room, throwing on a red T-shirt on the way. I laughed and Jesse decided to ask, "What's the big deal?"

* * *

**(Alexis POV)**

"OhmygoshLexi!" Mindy squealed at such a high pitch I was sure that the glass behind her would break. "That's so sweet! Jaden loves you! Awwww! So when's the wedding?"

"Mindy," I sighed, hitting my head with my free hand. My two friends giggled at me and made kissy faces.

"Oh!" Mindy exclaimed as if she had forgotten something. "There's a really hot guy here Lexis! He just got here this morning from wherever you are—!"

"Evermore," I said patiently.

"Yeah, that—Anyway he's not even human! Oh gosh, but he's just so hot! And he's really nice and witty! He's a merman, Jazz and I walked in on him and the other mermaid swimming in the pool!"

"His name's Atrus," I told them. Mindy fainted and Jasmine took over.

"Such a hot name for a hot fish," she whispered sarcastically.

"Humans are overrated! I want a merman!" Mindy shouted from the floor. Jasmine laughed, bringing a grin onto my face at their antics.

"Oh! Hi Chancellor Sheppard!" she announced, warning Mindy not to mention Atrus again. "What are you doing here sir?"

The bald head of Chancellor Sheppard appeared in the mirror with my two friends peering over his shoulder curiously. "Would you care to tell me why our school was attacked by sea creatures Ms. Rhodes?"

I flinched slightly at his tone, he was obviously angry that the school had to be put in danger before I would reveal Jaden's secret to him. "Well, you see..." I began hesitantly, not knowing what I could say with my friends present. I had only given them Jaden's first lie... that the worlds knew about Haou and wanted to use Jaden to tip the balance of power. I neglected to mention the swords and the wings and the throne. Whoops.

Fortunately for me, Jaden choose that moment to burst into the room with his cheeks slightly red. He saw my hands on the mirror and understanding passed through his brown eyes. "I thought so," he muttered. "When I get my hands on Mels..."

"Hi Jaden!!" Jasmine called. His head shot up again and he made his way to my side curiously.

"Hi," he answered weakly, his eyes looking at Chancellor Sheppard. He must have already figured out that he wanted answers. "What's up?"

"I could ask you the same question Jaden," Sheppard said without his usual warmth. Jaden sighed, pinching the bridge of his nose.

"I never meant for anyone to get hurt over this Chancellor," he alleged sincerely.

"Then tell me what 'this' is Jaden, Alexis."

Jaden and I shared a look; he was obviously wondering how much I had told my friends. Focusing, I made myself believe that revealing what has been going on would bring Jaden more danger and tried to force our bond into gear. So he surprised me when he spoke first.

_Which story did you say?_

Whoa, how'd you do that?

_As corny as it sounds, love has no bounds, Lexi. So?_

Oh, your father was murdered by Everlosts and you befriended the Evermores and about Haou.

_Tha—_

**_About me? I'm flattered._**

We both froze as Haou's menacing voice floated into our conversation. I felt Jaden break off our connection quickly and rush back to answer the question. He added details here and there, made it seem more real and heartbreaking, but all of that was lost to my ears. How had Haou spoken to me?

Well, Haou was part of Jaden; I just wouldn't have thought that he could do anything to talk to me. He certainly hadn't bothered before.

Why now? Why here?

"Jaden!" Alice announced, jumping into the room with Atticus by her side. Said brunette twisted around to see her, and then he stopped, realizing a moment too late what he had just done. Three gasps issued from behind the enchanted sun-stone-thing as the others got a good look at what he was hiding behind his back. Ashamed, he slowly twisted back to look into the stunned eyes of Chancellor Sheppard with a guilty expression, his wings moving slightly before they opened fully, showing their details since it was too late to erase the image anyway.

"Oh," Alice breathed, her hand over her mouth. "We'll just... come back later OK?"

She and Atticus exited quickly. Surprisingly, Mindy was the first to speak. "OMG! Jaden's an angel! That's sooooooo cute! Did he fall right out of heaven just for you?! It's just like a romantic story!! OMG!"

The ends of Jaden's mouth twitched into an ironic smile and his teeth were clenched slightly. "Err... as interesting as that'd be, no," I answered when it looked like Jaden was too surprised to say anything else. I sensed him grin wryly at my answer and felt his hand capture mine softly.

"Then what is he?" Jasmine asked, sounding disappointed.

"Human," Jaden answered this time. He paused and then added, "I don't think that there are any of those types of angels here Mindy, there are some people called angels, but that's only because they look like them."

"Human?" Sheppard repeated, confused. Jaden sighed again.

"Yeah, I'm a human... with wings. This is really why both of the worlds want me on their side. You see, when I travel into another dimension, another world, I adapt to it. So we're in Evermore—home of all winged creatures—so I have wings too."

"Wow," Mindy gasped. "Alright, humans are so not overrated anymore!"

I tried to laugh, but it came out nervous and twitchy, which earned me an endearing glance from Jaden and a giggle from my two friends. Chancellor Sheppard didn't seem to find it all that amusing.

"Why didn't you tell anyone before this happened?" Sheppard demanded. He had obviously been expecting something bigger, like, I dunno, the truth. Jaden's gaze hardened and the air around him seemed to fall still, waiting on his orders to lash out.

Uh-oh

"I didn't tell anyone because I didn't think this would happen!" he snapped, and I squeezed his hand to remind him that I was there. He really didn't seem to care with all of the steam he'd built up. "It's not like I intended my home life to get mixed up with my school and all of my friends! Besides, unless you had seen me with wings or a tail you wouldn't have believed me! Especially not before this year! Besides, I don't have to tell you everything! You're my teacher, not my mother!"

The trio looked surprised; they had obviously never been on the receiving end of an angry Jaden. It looked like his words hadn't even registered in their minds; they were too focused on how dark his eyes seemed to be and the snarl where his smile should have been. "Jaden," I warned. His gaze flickered over to me and softened, but he didn't apologize to the 'Earthlings'.

* * *

"Should we have just left them like that?" Atticus wondered briefly to Alice. She shrugged, beating her wings slightly.

"Probably not, but compared to some of the stunts I've pulled on Jaden, this is nothing. They would have found out about the wings eventually."

"Stunts?" Atticus asked curiously. The female sprite shrugged nonchalantly, playing with a lock of her hair with a mischievous smirk.

"I can go invisible," she said matter-of-factly. "It takes plenty of focus, but it's worthwhile to play pranks on the local residents. I swear, I'm the only one who wants it to be happier around here. Or at least the only one willing to do anything about it since Lillian died and Jaden stopped coming here so often."

That statement was like a neon flashing board for Atticus, the self-proclaimed Master of Love, and he launched right into the questioning. "Who's Lillian?"

"She was his girlfriend," came the answer rather quickly, as if she hadn't have thought it through in a long time. "Most of us thought she'd be the one too."

"The one? Like, his soul mate?" Atticus pestered, desperate for any information. He felt so desperately out of the love loops here, and he considered it his job to know this kind of stuff! He needed information! "What happened?"

"Like I said, she died," the sprite answered rather unperturbedly. Her pretty angled eyes half-glared and the brunette and he found himself startled by their depth and rather frightened. "She died in Jaden's arms. Hit in the back by that coward of a Yuki without either of them knowing of his presence!" Her teeth clenched and once again, Atticus felt fear and a hint of repulsion hanging in the air.

"You were friends, weren't you?" he said deftly, not wanting to get his face beat in by a girl who wasn't his little sister. He immediately determined that it was the right thing to ask because her glower dropped and she nodded thoughtfully.

"Yup," she added as an incentive. "And I'm friends with her twin brother, Chris, too. He was hit pretty hard by the loss, but he was happy that she died in Jaden's arms. He believes that she then died happily."

"Huh? I'm lost, back up," Atticus sighed, holding his head in a mock-headache. Alice gave him an appraising sideways glimpse and then walked ahead without another word. "Wha—? Hey! That's not cool!"

"Ask Jaden about it if you want to know! Now are you going to help me prank our lovely leaders or not?!"

* * *

**(Jaden POV)**

Alexis was giving me a disapproving glance, I could practically feel her scorn scorching my skin. But I couldn't help it at all, its not like I was doing this on my own will. It was all I could do not to lash out them from this side of the mirror and scare the pants off of them. I felt some kind of my normal human desires to keep them at bay, at arms length, distance them so as not to hurt them.

"Jaden," my loved one hissed under her breathe. "Apologize!"

I spared her a softened glance, but held my tongue, knowing if I tried to take it back I would most likely only make it much, much worse. The others seemed to come out from their shock from my harsh words and simply decided that I wasn't about to apologize either.

"What happened with Yubel, Jaden?" Chancellor Sheppard spontaneously kindled. I felt my brown eyes widen, caught off-guard. Alexis stiffened by my side, as if she had suddenly just realized, hey, yeah, what did happen to Yubel?

"Why do you want to know?" I shrugged, my hand nervously shifting towards my deck where Yubel's card slept. "She's gone now. I won."

The lines on Sheppard's head creased even further as his brow furrowed, obviously he wasn't satisfied with my answer. Mindy and Jasmine shared a look and silently faded into the background, probably to spy on the merpeople. "Jaden, you did defeat her, didn't you?" he demanded, making it sound like I had let her go. Which technically I had. Oh well, it's not like she's going to hurt anyone; I already purified her card so she's perfectly sane again!

(AN: Remember I started this story before Jay and Yubel fused, so in here Jaden only saved Yubel from her insanity and now Yubel simply wants to protect him. Oh, and that's why he's a she in this story... cuz I didn't know!)

"Yeah," I lied casually, shrugging my shoulders. "How else would I have gotten everyone back?"

"I don't know, why don't you tell me. Isn't it true that Yubel appeared when you fought off the messenger?"

"Yes," I answered suspiciously, my senses blaring. How did he know that? Then it hit me, the cameras around Duel Academy, he must have watched over the tapes while he was still in the school.

"Shouldn't she be dead then?" my Chancellor pressed me. I hated that.

"Yes," was my answer, "but so should I after having a freaking hole punched through my chest. I'd say her chances of surviving our duel were far better than what my chances had been."

"Logical answers? What are you hiding Jaden Yuki?" he sighed, his hand pressing against the wrinkled brow.

From you? Everything. "Nothing," I smiled serenely.

"Your wings, that is nothing?" he insisted. I smirked and pocked my cheek like a young child innocently.

"Yup, I mean, its not like I've got a tail or anything," I grinned with a rather cruel tone hidden beneath the light teasing. Of course, being the perceptive girl Alexis is, she saw that rather quickly but Chancellor Sheppard seemed immune to the jib as I would have been a few months ago.

He heavily sighed and told me this was a very dire situation and I needed to be serious. I felt my eyes darken and my smile fade slowly, my face rearranging itself into an expression commonly used by Haou; cold intensity. "I am being very serious Chancellor," I flatly outlined for him, sounding mature and a bit impatient. "I know better than anyone the consequences that ignorance and childishness can bring. Trust me, there is nothing that I have left unsaid that will cause you any further harm."

Silence.

Whoa, I had actually rendered him speechless! That's pretty impressive for someone like me.

"Since when were you so serious Jaden?" someone wondered from behind me. I felt my body tense automatically and cocked my head to the side, not believing my ears. I hadn't heard that voice in four years.

"Chris?" I asked just to make sure. I could see the resemblance to the goofy twin that I used to hang out with, but I could also see a completely different person standing in the doorway with his wings folded against his black shirt. He was a good foot taller and now his hair was longer and more choppy in the back. His never-failing grin was present on his face, but his eyes just seemed so different. They were currently brown, very calm, but I could see specks of green peeking out in his excitement. Nothing changed there. But... I can't really explain it. He just seems so different from when I last saw him in the graveyard!

"Well, are you going to stare at me all day?" Chris Lessinhop wondered half-seriously. I just blinked at him, unable to understand what was going on. I was barely aware of the mirror slipping from my hands and clunking onto the floor, perfectly intact, or of Alexis confusedly weaving her eyes between the two of us. "Jay?"

I jumped out of my seat and tackled him. "Chris!!" I shouted happily, practically suffocating my old friend. He laughed a bit painfully and returned the embrace quickly before we both let go and he simply put his hand on my shoulder and took me in. "Why are you back already?"

"Do I need a reason to drop in on my loving family?" he lightly said, sweeping his muscular arms around dramatically. I shook my head. He was still the same after all.

"Jaden?" Alexis asked, slowly rising from her chair to take in the newcomer. I snapped back into the present, straightening my back.

"Oh! Lexi, this is Lillian's twin brother, Christopher Lessinhop, and Chris, this is my—this is Alexis," I corrected myself quickly, sparing a glance at the face of Sheppard glowering at the ceiling behind me.

"So this is the angel that Niemona has told me so much about?" he smiled sweetly. He took her hand and kissed the top of it very much like a gentleman. New side of him. Must have picked up things like that while he was serving 'royalty'.

Alexis looked at me at a loss for what to do and I couldn't help but chuckle, feeling a small amount of the weight of the world fall off my shoulders. "So why are you here?"

"Prison break," he answered simply, dropping Alexis' hand and walking over to the mirror. "Hullo earthling!" he cheerfully addressed my teacher. "How goes things in Jay's world?"

"Err..."

"Nothing new? Okay, bye!" Chris grinned, placing his hand over the surface.

"Wha—? Wait a second!" the chancellor shouted just as the crystal became blank.

"Thanks," I admonished on the fairy-elemental hybrid.

"No promblemo," he shrugged, sitting down on one of the chairs in the room. "So tell me now, how much do your friends know, cuz I just rescued four of them."

"Huh?"

"Blair, Marcel, Crowler, and Bonaparte," he elaborated, ticking them off of his fingers. "They were being held prisoners at the Overlord's castle."

I blushed in embarrassment and shame. I had quite forgotten about my friends and teachers who had been prayed upon for my sake. "They don't know I'm the guardian, and they don't know what the guardian is. They know I love Alexis, they know she loves me. They know I'm the next in line for the throne—"

"What?!" Chris intercepted me loudly. "You're supposed to be the Overlord?!" I explained to him what I had learned, Alexis adding in her own two-cents occasionally. Chris let out a low whistle. "Zeus, Jaden. Things just seem to get more and more complicated, don't they?"

**_No, they make things more clear_**, Haou added mentally.

_What do you mean?_

**_Everything that we've learned has helped to explain why this generation of our family has so much more power than any proceeding line of Yukis. We are getting close to solving that question. _**

_I don't care why it happened Haou; I'd rather deal with it in the present and figure out a way to control it_.

**_Knowledge is power Jaden_**, Haou reminded me cruelly, hinting towards the information that the Queen had gathered through me. **_Like her, you could use the information to help further your goal._**

_I'm not like her!_

**_Aren't you?_**

"Jay?" Chris spoke, waving his hands in front of my unfocused eyes. I blinked at him and then sighed, sinking down on one of the beds.

"Sorry Chris, I was talking with Haou."

"Who?" the fairy asked bluntly, confusion written all over his face. I hid my eyes with my hands and kneaded my forehead.

"My other half, the part of me that's supposed to be controlling my... ah... abilities?" I said with a frown, still trying to shake off Haou's latest head game. I sensed rather than saw my close friend's astonishment and mistrust appear in his eyes.

"Haou huh?" Chris repeated, his hand falling off my shoulders and taking a step back to examine my aura. A deep look of focus came into his eyes and he whispered, "So that's what that bloody dragon meant..."

"Hmm?" Alexis asked. "What did Niemona say about Jaden?"

"Just that he was darker than normal lately or something," he shrugged, but I could see his calculating accuracy appearing in his thoughtfully gray eyes.

"She knows Chris, she knows everything," I found myself saying, my lips moving before my brain caught up, "so you can tell us what Niemona really said about me."

His mouth hung open. "You told her everything?!"

I nodded.

"You? Told her? Everything? We're still talking about Jaden right?" he whispered in full-out shock. "You never tell anyone everything."

"She's different," I smiled softly, my eyes falling into hers, "I love her." Her face lightened and I saw the tension leave her shoulders, unwinding her fears and doubts right before my eyes.

"I see," Chris said; his tone strange. Before I could say anything to him, he continued, "The dragon said that she thinks that we're wrong with your death age... or something."

The room fell silent, the tension and fear entered again and seized us in its greedy fists. "W-what?" Alexis fumbled, her graceful mouth tripping over the overused phrase. I felt my pulse slow and grow cold as if my last breathe had just been drawn. Chris shrugged and told us what had happened.

* * *

**(Chris POV)**

I let out a thankful breathe as we skyrocketed past the border of the Wayside Forest when the first rays of dawn ignited into existence. We had made it. We had really done it!

"How much longer?" Niemona asked suddenly, jogging me out of my inner victory dance.

"Hmm?" I wondered. She knew the way to the cliffs if she had really pledged her fealty to Jaden. The dragon simply grinned rather darkly, showing off her pearly teeth without waking Blair or Marcel on her brow. I found myself staring at how colossal they were and then abruptly forced my eyes back on the green slit eyes.

"Jaden is dying. How much longer?" I felt my mouth drop open in awe. How the heck did she know this?! I had kept this a well-hidden secret since that day we found out! I know she felt my alarm, but she didn't make any moves to answer it. I growled.

"How do you know that?" I alleged distrustfully. I eyed her enormous form on alert, very aware that she could easily take us all out, whether I was part elemental or not. We'd just be like feathery chew-toys.

"I know things naught. I understand all," she growled in the strange way of dragons. Yeah, like that answered my question. "It seemed to spread rather rapidly across his mind when I last saw him," she continued. "And I can still feel it now that I am bound to him. It ails him painfully, but he refuses to let it show or even to think about it. But I know. And so do you. I feel that there is more running amuck, that it is starting to influence him. But I can also feel the bane on its presence, the angel of darkness. The girl."

I blinked in rapid succession. There was just no way that she could understand all of this just by swearing fealty to my friend. And there was no way that Jaden would allow for this information to be spread.

"He doesn't allow it or even think about it," Niemona chuckled at my confusion. Now I remembered why I disliked dragons. "I just know. I can see into souls, remember Lessinhop? I can see the division, and thus if I chose to, I can focus on it again and feel his darkness spread. He will either die soon, or it will consume him, is that what you believe?"

"Eighteen or nineteen," I finally ground out, making sure no one else was listening in. We were too far ahead of anyone else to be overheard. Thank goodness. "That's the age."

"I understood you'd say that," the dragon scoffed lightly. "But know this: I think you're wrong." With that last epic statement, she beat her wings faster and streaked out farther into the clouds, leaving me speechless and worried.

Dragons were supernatural creatures, and whenever one admonished information like this, it was usually true. But what does that mean? Does she think that he'll die or be taken over sooner?

* * *

**(Jaden POV)**

I listened with unusual patience to my friend's story, but I barely heard the words that came from his mouth. "I have to go talk to her," I said, barely hearing myself speak. Neither of them argued with me, which was surprising. Chris would have usually been the one to insist that someone was there with me; I guess he really has changed a lot.

"Jaden, wait," Alexis said when I reached the door. I paused, my fingers on the wooden frame jammed into the stone. I think she knew that this was something I had to do on my own, so why was she stopping me?

Her hands wrapped around my chest and her goddess face buried into my wings, breathing gently into the feathers. Maybe they weren't so bad to have after all. I put my hands on hers and simply held them, neither of us wanting to move. But that wasn't our life anymore. We didn't have the luxury, time, and innocence of Academy Island hanging around us like mistletoe anymore. But, at least we still had each other to hold onto.

"I don't care what she says Jaden, just know that, alright?" she laughed with a slight sob. "We'll go down together, right? So it doesn't matter."

"God, I love you Lex," I sighed, turning around to give her a proper hug before clasping Chris on the back and leaving to discuss a certain something with my dragon.

Not my death, like Alexis said, that didn't matter as long as I was with her.

No, I needed to know if Niemona could see into the Queens orders.

I needed to know if she could stop me.

* * *

**(Brief Bastion POV)**

Books upon books upon books! I eagerly picked up the dusty volumes and scrolls written in several different pens, memorizing the maps and guarded portals, relishing at the challenge of deciphering their strange language, adoring every bloody moment of it.

"Hullo, what's this now?" I said to myself out of habit as I pulled a particularly dusty and battered book out behind one of the maps. Delicately I brushed the offending stuff off of the poor information mine and settle down to examine it. I opened to a page at random and was surprised to see the date:

_July 28th, 1737_

"Oh!" I exclaimed in surprise, such an old diary here? I couldn't help but read it! Turning back to page one, I submerged myself in the past of a servant to the Overlord from the 1700s.

_January 4th, 1730_

_Dear Journal,_

_My mother constantly tells me to keep track of every little thing that I see and hear so that I can't be punished by the Overlord Jonathon for being ignorant. I don't think that he's that mean. I mean, sure, we are at war, but he isn't the one who started it, he's just trying to keep us from falling to the sea, right?_

_Mother would strangle me for such thoughts. She believes that he is evil and detestable like all of his family line, but I don't know. Sure, it was a Yuki that started the war, but that doesn't put the blame on all of them. Especially not the Overlord's son, he is barely a year older than I! _

_Strange thing, that child. He was a rare case, his father was called onto duty while holding him, and thus, we have two Yukis in our world right now. All is well, perhaps the child will grow to detest the war as he grows with it and do everything in his power to stop it. I believe in Jaden, he is a good boy at heart even with such a dark throne dangling above his head._

I let out a gasp, jumping up and snapping the book closed. Jaden?! From the 18th centenary?!

"This is illogical; he is not immortal... ah! It must be one of his ancestors; I'll have to ask him his namesake later perhaps..."

_He is kind to all of us servants as well, and even my mother, bless her weary soul, seems to be tolerant of him. Yes, all is well in my world. _

_The work is hard, but it builds my body and makes my heart stronger. My mother works in the tavern in the castle for the soldiers and she always has to deal with the rough folk that find their way into drunken dreams. Jaden and I enjoy laughing when she clobbers them with her frying pan and I believe that the Overlord also finds it amusing. _

_My father worries about us from afar, and I call to him in my prayers every day. The castle is said to be a dangerous place, but I don't know..._

* * *

**(Later that night)**

All was still in the Rebellion caves. The armor and maps lay scattered across tables and swords lay near their owner's hands in beds, ready to strike. Nocturnal residents had already left their nest and soared in the night sky, stretching their wings for the first time all day. Niemona lay deeper down in the mountain in the larger caverns, her eyes shut but her ears alert, waiting for it.

She almost missed them.

Thump, thump, Thump, thump.

Footsteps

Even with her incredible hearing she found then nearly impossible to hear. Had she missed the giveaway sounds, would a life be lost tonight?

No time to waste on such thoughts.

Her green eyes opened and she rose on her haunches, staring up at the ceiling above her.

Fight little guardian, fight before I have to truly fight you.

* * *

**(Jaden POV)**

My hands were at her doorknob, and I couldn't pull away. I fought this with every particle of my being, including all of Haou's support that I could get from the reluctant half of me, but I couldn't do anything. I was completely under the spell of that damned medallion, and there was nothing anyone could do about it.

If anyone discovered me here, I had an excuse, a way out. I always do, and it's not like I can exactly tell them the real reason why I'm standing outside of her door, even though I desperately want to so someone can stop me.

Niemona, please help! I don't care what you have to do, please stop me!

I need Alexis' strength, she would never allow this to happen to her, she has more strength than I ever did.

The doorknob turned in my hand, the door opening without a sound. Damn it! Why won't it squeak?! She was still in her bed, her back facing the wall and her arms stretched out in front of her. My own betraying body lifted my hand and to my horror I felt the vibrations of power running down my arm.

_No! Stop! Haou, we have to stop me!_

**_There is nothing we can do, my other half._**

_Can't you ever be useful?! This is your power! Control it!_

**_Wrong, this is our power. We must control it._**

_But we can't combine again... we've tried._

My feet were silent now, padding without noise over to her bedside. My hand was above her neck. I stared at the foreign hands that were connected to my body, watching every muscle tense and flex, waiting, waiting...

**_True, but who's to say that we have to be combined to control it?_**

Those fingers moved upwards and hovered above her temples. I willed her to wake up and got no response, her hair tumbled all around the sheets around her in messy waves and I found myself staring at the separate light strands just to get my mind off what was happening right before me. I just couldn't believe that this could happen...

What is Niemona waiting for?!

* * *

Said dragon sniffed the air with indifference, her eyes still focused on the unseen pair of feet somewhere above her head. She heard every desperate thought running through her liege's head, even the ones that he was not allowed to speak of.

The Queen was cruel, but she was not yet ready to defeat the Overlord. However, with the girl and the Guardian, even against his will, she will be unstoppable.

This has gone far enough.

_You need faith in yourself young one._

She opened her mouth and roared.

* * *

"RRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRROOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOAAAAAAAAAAAAAAARRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRR!!"

Her eyes were wide, staring blankly at the spot I had just been standing at. She jumped into full wakefulness and I felt myself silently dissolve into the shadows, the power humming within my skin. No one could see me now. No one could sense me. It was like I was meant to be, the silent observer until I was needed, the destroyer.

A person burst into the room. "What's going on?" the Queen's prey demanded at the rebel, rubbing the sleep out of her eyes.

"Nothing, Niemona just decided to give us a wake-up call."

She sighed, holding a hand to her head in exasperation. "Of course she did... Goodnight."

"'Night."

He left, but they were all still awake. She stood up in the center of the room, the others who had entered the room watching her. Her eyes fell on where I was and she frowned, taking a step forward. I watched her in desperation for a while longer, her fingers hovering just in front of my mouth. My body moved silently through the solid wall. I sensed her fingers touching the cold barrier that separated us.

Tonight was not the night.

Thank God.

* * *

**(Wayside Forest/Millennia Forest)**

There! The rising sun!

The night had been agonizing for the thousands of troops. Their flights had been non-stop, which did not bother them as much as the pesky angels that guarded this cursed place. All day and night the pair had assaulted their forces with traps and magic and arrows of all kinds, sending wild animals let loose from other portals located within the leafy trees, casting illusions to confuse them, making their lives hell.

But now they were finally approaching the end. They could fly into open air and cruise at high altitudes, let their wings rest and shoot arrows back at those troublesome winged rats. And they had made it on time as well, the Overlord would be pleased... if he can ever be pleased that is...

There! There was the last line of trees!

That was the last thing many of them would see.

* * *

**(Rebel Base, outside, Dawn)**

"Hey Jay, you seem really tired today," Jesse commented offhandedly, yawning himself. Jaden blinked up, looking away from the dawn sky to look back at his friends.

"You're all up early," he replied with a nod. They shared collective glances with one another and then Bastion stepped forward eagerly.

"Since none of us seem to know how to get you to open up about this 'secret', I've got a harmless question to inquire of you," he said quickly. Jaden shrugged, signaling Bastion to continue. "What is your namesake, Jaden?"

He blinked. "What? That's really random Bastion!" Jaden announced, but not one small twitch of a smile appeared on his lips. It was seen by all but ignored as well. "I think my mom said it was passed down every few generations to honor a kid that my great (times a lot) grandma lost with her husband in a flood."

"Hmm..." Bastion thought.

"Why?" Syrus wondered curiously, taking the words right out of Hassleberry's mouth. He didn't seem the happiest about that, but considering the danger that they were always in, he didn't act.

"I stumbled across an old diary in the 'library' and it mentioned Jaden's name back in the 1700s, so I was naturally curious." He looked at Jaden as if wondering if he wanted to read it. Jaden gave him an appraising glance, the dark circles under his eyes standing out in the sunlight.

"Bastion, I may have lied to you guys about a lot, but what makes you think that I'd lie about hating to read books?" he laughed finally. Bastion laughed as well and muttered that he thought so. "Yeah, guys I—" he cut himself off abruptly, glancing down at a small pendent he had dangling from his neck. The others watched in fascination as the color grew brighter and the material of Jaden's shirt gathered small flecks of frost on it. His mouth hung open and he silently looked up at them, his eyes fearful. "You guys have to get out of here, now."

"Why?" Blair demanded while grabbing Marcel's hand. He looked at her and then turned his attention back to Jaden, the boy he had thought to be his love rival. The wings had been an interesting adjustment to get used to, and then the concept that he was actually supposed to be the ruler of this dimension, and now there are magical glowing necklaces?

"Something very, very, bad is about to happen," Alexis answered. All the eyes turned towards her as she walked up to Jaden and gently took the pendent off of him. They all watched as she held it above her hands and soon Jaden's captured them as well. They closed their eyes together and moved slowly in a circle, North, South, East, West... then around again. They both stopped, their arms outstretched towards the forest too far away to see. "It's the coldest over there."

"The Wayside Forest?" Bastion wondered, recalling the maps.

"Could it be the Overlord's army?" Crowler asked fearfully, a note of hysteria creeping into his voice. Jaden frowned and turned towards his allies gravelly. "Is it warning that they are coming?"

"Elaine and Brain," Chris muttered, darting towards the door to fetch Darkal. Allian was already in the air, her face a mask of cold stone, her teeth set.

"Worse," he said, and his finger revealed to them a blazing fire of white and blue stretching up into the sky in the distant. "They already came."

* * *

_Dear Diary,_

_Today I received my first deck. I was elated when it happened, my cards appearing out of thin air like they were meant to be, but I do suppose that's the way it works here, right? Mother says that in other worlds people have to create their own decks, but I prefer this way. Now my cards will evolve with me and grow and change, just like as the unpredictable wheel of light and darkness changes. _

_Mother and Jaden are teaching me to duel, and Jaden thinks I have plenty of talent for it, which is a certain relief. Being a weak duelist is a death sentence here. I do wonder why Jaden bothers to spend time with me sometime though. I am just a child of a servant, who am I to be speaking and playing with royalty ever day of my life? _

_I do not mind his company though, it is quite the opposite. There is a certain glow about him that draws me in, and he just seems so intelligent and wise even at our young ages. He is but fifteen, I stand at fourteen. Time seems such a strange concept to me, knowing that I will not perish unless I am taken by murder and he will eventually grow old and vanish..._

_It saddens me to think of this, so I will just write of something else, perhaps something useless... Ah! Mother was recently switched over to treat the wounded in the Overlord's army. I don't see her as often anymore, as I am always with the other servant girl washing sheets stained with a red sticky substance that no one wants to acknowledge as blood. _

_I just laughed at myself; I can't seem to get off the morbid stuff on this day, can I? _

_Jaden Yuki... he is a puzzling one... that is for sure. There are times that I've caught him staring at me with a strange sort of hunger in his eyes that makes my cheeks grow red and then there are times that he can seem to hate me, but he always comes back and we promise never to argue again. I don't understand humans very well yet, but I so desperately want to. My mother warns me against this, claiming that I'm getting to know the 'enemy', but I ignore her. She is just paranoid; all of those years in hiding must have done it. _

_Jaden shows promise. He has already confided in me that he dislikes this warfare and hopes to end it in the future..._

**I HAVE A FEELING THAT I AM GOING TO DIE YOUNG...**

**ALRIGHT, THERE ARE TWO MORE CHAPTERS LEFT IN THIS (NOT INCLUDING THE EPILOGUE) AND THEN IT'S ONTO THE DESCENT!!**

**PLEASE DON'T KILL ME IF YOU WANT TO FIND OUT THE ENDING OF THE END OF THE SERIES!!**

**LOVE,**

**AxJfan**

* * *


	27. Instability

**19,486 WORDS!**

**YOU'RE GOING TO NEED TO SIT DOWN FOR THIS ONE.**

**ONE MORE CHAPTER AND THEN THE EPILOGUE. THEN THE SECOND: The Descent.**

**I DON'T OWN ANYTHING OTHER THAN TE PLOT AND MY OC'S.**

* * *

**Chapter 25**

_Dear Diary,_

_There are noises coming from below the medical room and soldiers are running rampage across the rooms, gathering weapons. I am frightened, but I have to protect the other servant girls here. No one else has received their decks. My mother is standing firm with her patients, and a few of them are even up and ready to defend the castle against whatever threat is coming._

_I'm shaking._

_This is my first fight and will be my first real duel, and I'm afraid to die so young. I feel that this fear is shameful compared to everything that my mother or Prince Jaden has faced in their lifetimes, but I cannot quench this._

_The door is shaking almost as much as my wings are. I have to stop writing now, and if I don't write again..._

_Zeus._

_The invaders were troops from Everlost, and it was terrifying. Mother assured me afterwards that not all of the people from Everlost are like those savage brutes were and I can only hope that she is correct. I don't think I could live in a world of peace if those were my neighbors..._

_It was just too horrible to describe, and we would have all died had Jaden not..._

_Sorry, my Mother came into the room, and I cannot allow her to read all of my thoughts in here! I would perish from embarrassment! As I was saying before, Jaden saved us all. Mother and I had been dueling as hard as we could and mother even pulled out her sword and met others in combat. But we were being overwhelmed and the other servants could only toss small explosives made out of spices at them. At one point two of the girls tried to perform a help-summoning spell by drawing a circle with some of the healing powders, and apparently it worked._

_Jaden Yuki came barreling down the spiral stairs behind me and tossed a throwing knife into the melee, killing the person about to kill me. I have never seen him so fierce before, and I will admit that his anger almost scared me as much as the merman and water-sprites did._

_I trust him now more than ever though. His fierce fighting and incredible dueling skills saved us all. His will alone forced the advancing troops to halt and fall back, and then his guards caught up and that was the end of it. I must go express my thanks to him, although I wonder why he was the one who was summoned by the spell and not other troops or his father._

_Summoning spells only draw humans forward when one who has taken part in the spell shares a deep connection to that person. So why would he be summoned by those two girls, I am certain that Miranda and Jaspera have no relation to the Prince..._

_Perhaps..._

_These are my spices! That's why he came, because the spell told his instincts that someone who he holds dear is in danger! But... he really thinks that high of me?_

_Why? I am only a servant girl to him..._

* * *

**(Jaden POV)**

**6:57 am**

We exploded back into the base and started shouting to the other members of the Rebellion in desperation. Gather weapons! Burn papers! Get children out of here! MOVE!!

Alexis took my hand when she drew level to me and I saw Melody grab Jesse's arm and pull him down another hallway. Chazz's Ojamas led their master down another passage, shrieking hysterically. Jim and Axel ran down the hallway that led to the armory and Bastion led Zane to the library to gather important documents with other members of the Rebellion. Aster ducked into the children's room and started to help them get ready to flee with Atticus at his heels. Syrus and Hassleberry trailed behind Lex and I, lending their support in anyway that they could.

I came to a halt when Darkal flew past me, his wings tight in the rock hallways, and made for the exit. Chris stumbled to a stop when he saw me and quickly filled me in, "Darkal and Allian are going to scoop out the forest and see just what we're dealing with. You and me and Alexis are going to go try to liberate some portals to get our people far out of here. You two can come, you're duelist right? Where's that older man, Pegasus? He's a duelist of great stature in your world, so get him too. I don't know how many people we'll have to fight."—Alice darted past me, carrying what looked like a map and spreading it out on a nearby table—"Alice will mark the ones that are the best to use right now for your friends then she'll escort the older kids to one of the safe portals with others. This is it Jaden, we either leave or die. We won't stand a chance against the Overlord right now; we just don't have enough people!"

"What about our school?" Syrus piped up unexpectedly. I glanced down at my shorter companion, confused. He met my gaze with his steady grey eyes. "Jaden, the entire school feels indebted to you and everything you have done to save us for three years. They'd all be willing to fight with us, and there are hundreds of students. That's hundreds of good duelists and teachers."

"No!" I hissed angrily. "I won't let all of them get involved too! They're completely innocent Sy; they would have no idea of what they're getting into before it's too late!"

"Serge," Hassleberry cut in, "I agree with Private Trusedale on this one. They are already involved in this anyway! They were attacked at home base, weren't they? They know exactly what they are getting into Serge."

I bit my lip, looking down at my last line of defense, my angel. "Jaden," she said, her own gaze piercing me ten times more than my 'best friends', "Syrus and Hassleberry are right. You need to learn to let others help you. You can't bear the weight of the world all by yourself. I thought you would've learned that after the Dark World."

I cringed back, caught off-guard by the low, but true, blow. "Lex, Sy, Hassleberry, I just don't want anyone else to get hurt because of my mistakes."

"We're stronger when we fight together Jay," Syrus continued with his small smile. "And you've just got to learn to trust us like we trust you. We won't let you down this time either."

"Right on the money Private!" Hassleberry laughed.

"Guys..." I said weakly. Alexis tightened her hold on my hand and pulled me towards the map that Alice had just marked. The sprite waved at me fleetingly before racing off to the children to help Aster and Atticus.

"Come on Private, to Pegasus! Left, Left, Left, right, left..."

I waited until the chatter of my best friends faded away before turning to Chris and Alexis. "Alright Lex, these portals are heavily guarded, and it's no game to try and take over one of them. There are both Everlost and Evermore guarded portals, sometimes one will even replace the other if we attack and defeat them. This won't be easy, especially not with Nick coming at us like this."

"But we've got our own secret weapon too," Chris added pensively, "surprise. The guards won't be expecting us to attack them; they'll be focused on the approaching Overlord. So, while they believe that we are gearing ourselves for battle, we'll really be sneaking up on them. We'll need the two of you to actually fight, do you understand?"

"Do you mean," I hesitated, letting go of Alexis' hand to rub my temples, "that we need to use my powers?"

My love drew in a sharp breathe. "But that will kill us!" she exclaimed. "Well, sooner," Lex amended after a pause.

"Not necessarily," a new voice entered the scene. We all looked up at Gravelon curiously, admiring the many scrolls and bows held in his strong stone-ish hands. "Jaden, Alexis, if you both are able to control this 'power', then it will not affect your life-force. With two powerful souls handling it, this secret will be more tame. But, it won't extend your lives either. You'll still—" he broke off when Zane and Bastion returned with bags full of paper. In Bastion's hands was the old diary he had mentioned a few minutes earlier. It felt like eons.

"Where're Blair and Marcel and our teachers?" Alexis asked them as Chris and I returned to the map, trying to come up with plots. Zane set his bag down next to a few others and pulled out his duel-disk from it.

"They're staying behind with the rebels to help burn this place," he answered tonelessly, snapping his weapons of choice into place. "They have no decks with them, nothing to defend themselves with."

I nodded, glad that the younger and older members of our group were going to be safe. "Alright, can you guys round up everyone else? We've got a job to do."

* * *

**7: 17 am**

The unusually high winds buffeted Allian's feathers as she and her co-commander raced towards the pillar of fire. Darkal made a noise of disgust from behind her, and she spared him a glance. "What is it?"

"You know what that fire means, right?" he ground out, staring at it emotionlessly. He dark eyes were endless, reflecting the fire with his cold and impartial scrutiny.

"Yes, I know," Allian answered, taking out something that had a resemblance to binoculars. "We're in deep shit."

"Understatement," Darkal replied, spreading his black and deep crimson wings out farther, willing the leathery material to cut through the gales of olden magic. They flew in silence, Allian focusing her binoculars on the ground near the fire. She grunted a curse and passed them to her silent companion. He did likewise.

Soldiers were spilling out from the trees, coughing a spluttering as the very first line of Nicholas Yuki's defense were sent straight to hell in poufs of orange dust. More and more replaced the first; flying through the flames like demons straight from those fiery gates themselves. It wasn't just blocking one place, that pure white and blue pillar of olden fire, but the entire boundary of the Wayside Forest, just as the soldiers spilled out. How did that many soldiers grow from the three-hundred that Jaden had envisioned?

How could a teen be the cause of all of this destruction?

They flew parallel to the deaths, breezing through the orange mist, trying to estimate the numbers that were coming forward through the reversed magic.

"Daughter!"

Allian came to an even halt, turning her head back as Elaine and Brian passed through the barrier, unharmed. The brunette mother angel wrapped her arms around her daughter and Brian nodded his blue eyes at Darkal in acknowledgement. The fallen angel returned the gesture before launching right into questioning. "How many are there?"

"Still surviving after this blow?" Elaine said, releasing her relieved daughter. "I'd say roughly fifteen-thousand."

"What?!" Allian demanded crossly. "Where did that bastard get such numbers in such a small world?!"

Darkal spared the loud angel a glance and answered, "Fear is a powerful motivation." She shook her head as if trying to clear it.

"Mother, how did you reverse the barrier over the forest? Will it come back after this or can they fly over the trees now?"

Elaine and Brian shared a sad glance before turning back to their replacing leaders. "Elaine could reverse it because she was the one that cast it Allian, and yes, as soon as the last fighter against the wild gets past that wall, the forest will no longer be protected by her magic."

"This was our last resort Allian, Darkal. We had no other options left. If we left the forest, the Overlord could recover his troops and launch a more powerful strike. If we had both stayed the entire time, than you would have been caught unaware and you all would have died. I had to take away the protection of this forest and use it as an attack to warn you and to cause damage. This was the only way Allian."

"Now they have an escape route," she growled under her breathe. "That damned Yuki must have figured this out too. He's always two freaking steps ahead of everyone else, isn't he?"

"Not only that, but now he can start to colonize the wilderness as well, he can get better control of the Everlost and Earth portals," Darkal elaborated.

"But we'll still be alive to fight against him," Brain inserted. "If we were all dead, if he had captured the Guardian and Angel, everything would be over. The current world would be more than ended, Darkal."

The addressed rebel frowned, "So we live to die another day?"

"That is how we've always lived Darkal," Allian answered, drawing her sword as if making an oath. "And that's how we'll continue to live! No matter what that bastard can throw at us, we'll return it with double the passion and energy! We'll make peace somehow, someday, and there is nothing that Yuki can do to stop us! Not even if they don't want it!"

"You are a peculiar angel Allian," Darkal replied without missing a beat.

* * *

**(Alexis POV)**

**7:17 am**

We took off towards the edge of the cliffs twenty minutes later, all of our decks prepared and the winged animals fed and ready to fight too. Chris was in the lead, his wings black once again, and Jaden and I made up the rear. Our friends were scattered between us, holding on tightly to the reigns of their beasts. I couldn't help but feel the presence of Jaden's secret pumping through his veins as he held me, and I worried. I knew his eighteenth birthday was coming up in two months, but should he already be filled with so much of its presence?

Of course I was avoiding the question that had been thrown at us so suddenly with the good news of the prison break:

Did Niemona mean that we were going to die much sooner?

Like I had said before, dying sooner wouldn't bother me so long as I was with Jaden, but I still couldn't help but feel a twinge of sadness that we couldn't share a life together. I just loved him so much, and he had proven that his love was on par with my own, that I wished we could have built a family as well.

Wait, I'm thinking of marriage and I'm only seventeen?

It was then I realized just how much we had all changed. Especially Jaden. Maybe this entire disaster, starting with the Sacred Beasts and ending in a year or two from now, was actually a good thing for us all in a way. Jaden had learned to love and open up because of what happened when he kept it all to himself, and we had found each other. Syrus was so much stronger than he ever had been, and he really learned to protect himself and his friends.

Hassleberry was becoming far more independent from Jaden, and he was only going to grow more powerful as well. Jesse... well Jesse is still Jesse. I don't really think he needed to change much to deal with this. Zane has learned respect again and his heart is no longer weak. Atticus is actually acting his age for once, which is a minor miracle in itself.

Aster... he's less cold towards us, and I think he has gained respect for Jaden. Chazz has a smaller ego than when he started his journey with us, and he found that he can see duel spirits. Axel can think for himself now instead of simply following orders of some head master. Jim... he's just happy that he could help save his friend.

And I...

I had finally found what it was like to be in love and have the feeling be mutual. I wanted to start a life with someone. I've grown up.

And I felt as though I'd give up everything just to make him happy again.

"Jaden," I whispered in his ear, tilting my head so it wouldn't be so obvious to the others. I would have used our connection, but I was worried that Haou would appear again and just mess with his head. "You're worse than usual, what's wrong?"

His chocolate eyes lowered to meet mine and he smiled. "I'll be fine later Lexi. It'll be normal again by noon tomorrow."

"What do you mean by that?" I demanded, clenching my hands into fists. He knew it irked me when he gave answers like that... which is probably why he's doing it. He likes to tease me too much sometimes...

"You'll be out of here and somewhere safe," he answered confidently, grinning at me with a bit of forced enthusiasm, but I appreciated the effort. Any smile that I could out of him after the Dark World fiasco was a miracle in itself.

"I love you," I smiled. He squeezed me gently in response, brushing his lips against my forehead.

"Alright, here we are," Chris called back, pointing down at the ground far below us. When I was squinting I could just barely make out a shimmer and a bunch of black dots moving around. "Now, we'll need the element of surprise to get a good start, so are you all ready?"

"Draw your hands now," Melody suggested from behind Jesse. The bluenette nodded in encouragement and drew his five cards.

"Summon a monster," Zane added from in front of Aster, who rolled his blue eyes.

"I think that's redundant Zane," he quipped. Zane was about to bite back but was silenced when Axel cleared his throat loudly.

"Not the time Phoenix, Trusedale, save the fighting for the enemy," he growled. The two pro-rivals politely shut their traps and summoned up a monster from their hands. Cyber Angel Benten, Neos, Cyber End Dragon, XYZ Cannon, Super Conductor Tyranno, Skulking the Paleozoic Fossil Knight, Volcanic Devil, Supervehicroid Stealth Union, Water Dragon, and Red Eyes Black Dragon. When Pegasus summoned his cartoony Dark Magician Girl, Syrus blushed and turned his head away, making me chuckle.

Melody summoned up her Levia-Dragon Daedalus and Jesse summoned his Rainbow Dragon (you didn't see that coming, XD).

"Ready?" Atticus wondered, flailing around the reins and making Syrus squeal softly in protest.

We all nodded. "Let's go," Jaden said. And then he angled his wings and dropped into a steep dive, Neos and Benten right by our sides. Normally I would have screamed because of how unnaturally fast the ground was approaching, but I held it in to keep our attack secret for another second or two.

"Neos!" Jaden called, and I knew it was time.

"Cyber Angel Benten!"

"XYZ Cannon!"

"Cyber End Dragon!"

"Super Conductor Tyranno!"

"Skulking the Paleozoic Fossil Knight!"

"Volcanic Devil!"

"Supervehicroid Stealth Union!"

"Water Dragon!"

"Red Eyes Black Dragon!"

"Dark Magician Girl!"

"Levia-Dragon Daedalus!"

"Rainbow Dragon!"

"ATTACK!!"

(Big boom!)

The smoke that exploded into existence and the flying dirt and orange dust weren't the first things that hit me hard, no it was the sound. As soon as all of our monsters had attacked and wiped out a good portion of the fifty stationed soldiers, the troops had launched into action, calling orders with more efficiency than even the rebel leaders. They had obviously been well trained.

Jaden let go of me suddenly and whipped out his sword, meeting the blade of a newcomer in a shower of brilliant sparks. Me, being pretty much useless with the weapon, simply stood there for my part. I didn't know how to help him and it killed me.

"Lexi!" Atticus called to me, and I turned barely managing to duck down from a flying knife. Atticus sighed in relief before returning to the duel he had been engaged in, calling forth his Red-eyes Chick. I nodded, dashing away to help Chazz fight off three enemies with the "Hit-and-Run Duels" as Jaden had told me after his hot-sauce story.

* * *

**(end POV)**

**7:45 am**

He knocked his blade against his opponent's skull, knocking him out cold, with ease and shifted fluidly into an attack position with his duel-disk. Jaden drew his next card and smirk, summoning his Burstinatrix readily. The red-clad monsters leapt into action, protecting Hassleberry and Syrus from a sneak-attack from an unnamed winged beast. He nodded triumphantly and surveyed the battle field in a quick 360. Atticus was taking on two people at once in a duel and winning handily with his Red Eyes Black Dragon. Zane was taking on—he rubbed his eyes—five of the high leaders in a duel at once and still remained untouched.

He swiveled to face Jesse and Melody give a loud battle cry as they charged into the bulk of the crowd, Melody swinging her sword like an expert and Jesse egging on his Crystal Beasts. The two dragons that they had summoned were currently waging war with other monsters, growling and blasting their way to victory. Chris was preventing the messengers from escaping with his limited wind control and he wasn't sure where Axel, Jim, and Pegasus were.

No sooner had he wondered that did the ground start violently shaking and crumbling away into lava. There was a blast of dirt and the three in question burst from the ground, hefted by a few cartoony characters. He watched, impressed, as roughly ten armored creatures fell into the pit and Volcanic Devil claimed them in its fire.

Then Dark Magician Girl waved her tiny staff/wand and the ground went back to normal. Pegasus let out a little cheer and went off to continue the battle. He caught a glint of steel out of the corner of his eyes and jumped back, cursing himself for losing focus as the machete diced where his wing had been. The soldier looked alarmed at the few feathers that had fallen and started shouting as loudly as he could, "THE GUARDIAN IS HERE! IT'S THE GUARDIAN!! FIND THE ANG—!"

He figured that was enough talk from him as he fell to the floor, unconscious as well. He knew it was stupid not to kill in situations like this, but he had never been able to force himself to kill anyone except for the messenger...

And in the Dark World...

Surprisingly, he felt nothing when those old memories resurfaced while he swung away at oncoming enemies to make his way to Alexis. She and Chazz were holding their own pretty well.

—Well, ok, he's not that surprised that he really don't have any strength to spare for depressed emotions right now but he was still disturbed greatly. He'd really like to think that what he's being forced to do isn't changing who he is, but who was he kidding? He'd already changed once because of it, who's to say he can't change again?

He was at her side now, and he watched as the leader that Zane had not challenged and defeated was ordering his men to retreat behind the portal—a strange tactic. That was a portal into the human world, and it didn't take a rocket scientist to figure out that a bunch of dudes with wings, swords, and armor appearing in the middle of the street or something was very bad.

"Rainbow Dragon!!" Jesse called, pointing at the retreating soldiers. "Block 'em!"

"LDD!" Melody shouted, using the shortened name she had given her monster. For some reason known only to the bluenette and red-stripped brunette, Jesse gave her a side-long appraising glance.

"Who's lazy now Mels?" he asked before turning back to battle as the Dragons blocked the way. She stuck out her tongue at him and punched his arm as her Revival Jam defended her time and time again.

Unfortunately Jaden knew the dragons weren't going to work because of the way that the soldiers sped up. They all had monsters around them, and even though they did no justice to the attack points of his friend's monsters, combined they'd be too much to handle. This world was far different than the Dark World or Earth. But he did know one monster that could handle all of those attacks and reverse them, all but annihilating the army. He drew and there she was.

_I guess I had to test my friend's trust in me again._

"Mels, Jesse!" he yelled, spreading his wings and landing right next to them in a second. They both jumped horribly and flinched as the wind buffeted them. "Your monsters won't survive this blow."

Melody looked confused, and then understood. Jesse obviously didn't, but he did seem to understand the desperate look in his eyes. "You need two sacrifices, take our dragons Jaden."

"How'd you—never mind," the brunette decided. "Thank you."

They nodded as he held her card into the air. "I sacrifice Levi-Daedalus Dragon and Rainbow Dragon in order to summon—"—all eyes went to me, including the soldiers, knowing who I was and wondering what I was going to do to stop their escape—"YUBEL!"

The monsters didn't even hesitate in their charge towards the portal once they saw Yubel and her zero attack points. All of the monsters that they had summoned leapt up and made a final strike against the hermaphrodite monster, their first and last mistake. All of the attacks deflected and exploded into the remaining guards.

They all died with the same expressions as his friends, shock and anger.

**_You're not going to talk your way out of this one,_** Haou commented.

_Shut-up._

"We will now set up camp a few miles away, and then tomorrow we will leave. You all know what you must do. Guardian, I know you're listening. You can try to run, but you will fail. I will defeat your little Rebellion, and it's thanks to you that I found your little location. I'll be there to thank you personally."

Jaden started out of the frozen shock at the sound of Nick's voice and turned his head instinctively towards his location. Something made a painful flare in his head and he felt Haou distance from him suddenly. It was then that he heard rapid footsteps and Melody's cry.

He whirled around, his hair clouding his vision for the briefest second; then he wished it would do it again. Melody slashed back faster than even the duel monsters could, and the first Everlost to strike out disintegrated into dust, but the damage was already done. His friend fell to his knees, clutching his stomach with a strange expression on his face, not comprehending the red that covered his hands.

"JESSE!!"

* * *

**(Nick POV)**

**7:45 am**

The fire did nothing to hold us back; I had planned it to happen like this. Admittedly, if everything had gone to plan this would have happened days later, but now was as good of a time as ever. I had caught them all off-guard, and this was the price that they would all pay for crossing me, for crossing my power.

Darkly amused by the frantic flaps of the Rebellion leader's wings I watched my troops continue to tumble out of the forest and simply waited it out. I knew I could easily confront the four important figures, but I also knew if I tried to draw close to them that fire wouldn't let me get near them. The magic still did protect them after all—or at least it would until this 'flame' died out.

"Sir?"

I ignored the soldier for a few minutes and then turned back to my army that was already ready. Several men and woman were coughing heavily, but no one dared help them in case the magic was contagious. I almost laughed at their ignorance of the old magic. It couldn't hurt them again. **"We will now set up camp a few miles away, and then tomorrow we will leave. You all know what you must do. Guardian, I know you're listening. You can try to run, but you will fail. I will defeat your little Rebellion, and it's thanks to you that I found your little location. I'll be there to thank you personally."**

However, I hadn't envisioned a response from his darker half.

**_I'll be the one waiting for you. We'll see just how much we have to thank each other for then._**

My lips twisted forebodingly, yes, this sinister half of Jaden was exactly what I needed. I could still tell that it had not changed from the time we were children. It was still wild, restless, and immoral. And I knew how to tame it.

I left the scene just as the other leaders did; guiding my men towards the place where my next plan would explode, and the undoing of the last resistance, the capturing of the angel.

It was unsurprisingly quiet while we flew away; I had expected more of an uproar of anger from the various rebels dashing about. When we came across them hurrying back to base I decided it was necessary to go out of their way to kill them to get my point across to Jaden. They would all die or he would give himself and his angel up. After a particular encounter, I stopped my men from killing the captured rebel and walked over to her myself.

"I remember you," I told her shortly, watching her sprite wings bristle and then start beating angrily. Her eyes burned hatred and I couldn't help but feel another wave of pleasure from her. But she wasn't afraid, and that bothered me. Shouldn't she fear for her life because I had captured her? Shouldn't she be cowering a pleading for herself? "What's your name?"

She spat in my face. I coolly wiped it off and then bent down to eye level as my guards tightened their hold on her hands. She glowered at me and then seemed to concentrate; finally she vanished into thin air, not allowing me to see into her eyes any more. "Hard to scare me when you can't see me, huh, Yuki?"

I frowned; did none of the rebels have any sense in them at all?

"That may be, but it makes it also makes it harder to kill you quickly if I can't see where I'm hitting you. Would you rather have a slow death sprite?"

She snorted. "You're fond of quick deaths and then eternity of suffering, Nicky, so what will it matter how I die, the end will be the same."

I glowered. She was challenging my authority in front of my men, and I could not have this. I turned to face them from the side and made eye-contact with every one of them that I could. I nodded, satisfied, they were all still loyal—still bloodthirsty. "Kill her!" someone shouted, and I chuckled.

"I can't keep my troops waiting, can I girl?"

"Alice," she snarled back with pride. "My name's Alice and don't you forget it Nicky."

"Oh I'm sure I will."

"Well then maybe this will help you remember," Alice said, sounding like she was smirking. She suddenly became completely visible and my soldiers started, dropping her. She looked completely different now; she was the spitting image of Melody, my younger sister.

"What the hell?" I said as she jumped at me, drawing one of the several weapons that rebels always have strapped to them. This one was an extendable spear, but it never made contact with my skin. I allowed my eyes to flash dark purple and the attack was halted as Alice crashed into an invisible shield. The sprite bounced back, slashing at any one else who got closer to her. "Stay back!" I ordered my men. "She wants a fight, I'll give her one."

She flicked Melody's brown and red hair to the side much in the way that my sister did. "Are you really going to kill your sweet little sister Nick? Why would you kill me? I love you, you're my brother."

I'm pretty sure my look should have made her drop dead. "You are just casting an illusion, I have no sister."

She looked wounded by my comment and false tears gathered in her pink eyes. "Of course you do, it's me. I'm worried about you Nick; I know this isn't who you really are. You could be so much more! Why must we fight, I don't want to kill my own kin."

"I could," I simply answered, holding my hands out and blasting her to the ground. She braced herself as she collided with the dirt, and then quickly sprang back up to her feet.

"Nick, why? I don't want to have to fight you, but I care about my friends and about Jaden too, so I won't let you hurt them!" Alice seemed to be enjoying herself, but the acting was a bit too good for my pleasure. To my horror, I hesitated to strike her down.

Of course, being the tricky species that she was, Alice struck. I felt the steel of the spear nick my shirt and tear it before I could react. Her eyes blazed with triumph as I grabbed her with my sharp claw-like fingers and held her by the neck. She stuck her tongue out at me and I shook her violently, pressing my sword against her stomach.

"Well, well, well!" she chirped haughtily. "It seems that you do have a weakness."

I laughed in her face, "I do? Then why is your life dangling by a thread?"

"I don't know, why don't you tell me?" she smiled, making Melody's pink eyes sparkle. "You better get your game on if you wanna take down the Rebellion now."

I glowered at her, hating the use of my cousin's old catch phrase. "That's enough!" I commanded, dipping into my power and breaking the illusion. Alice glowered right back, her pink lips moving into rather colorful phrases. Then finally:

"You couldn't kill her. You could kill Lillian but you can't kill Melody. You can try to round up Jaden and manipulate his will for your own good and take away his life and love and yet you can't bring yourself to watch the life leave eyes that look like Melody's. How can you call yourself fearless, emotionless? You're just—!"

I stabbed her and yanked my sword back out to cause damage. She spluttered, red coming out of the corner of her mouth, and then she smiled. "Jaden will be able to save us after all. He's the real King, not you. He'll find a way to make things right and Alexis will be right there with him. You should be ashamed that you corrupted your own way in order to get power instead of remaining pure. You could have brought peace to this world! You and Jaden knew of your heritage! You could have stopped the corruption! At least Jaden's trying to be good."

I scowled, so much for a slow death. "Just leave her," I growled, letting her crumble to the ground as the bright orange light started to surround her. We took off again and I decided to contact my dear cousin.

I directed this at the Yuki bloodline so my soldiers wouldn't become confused, **"That's another one Jaden, and perhaps you knew her? She took out a good twenty of my men with her little invisibility trick. Alice? The girl had some interesting things to say to me before I killed her, perhaps you'd like to hear them instead?"**

**_Perhaps you'd like to be stabbed in that mouth of yours?_** he replied frostily. I could feel the burning hatred passing through the connection that this half had forged from Jaden and it satisfied me greatly to know I was doing some damage already.

**"She mentioned something colorful about me and then something about that red-head from a few years ago. Then she talked about you, interesting, isn't it?"**

**_Not really, I am a big deal. It's only natural that she would talk more about me than about you._**

I scowled briefly at the jab into my ego before dismissing it. Talk was all he could do right now, I was the one with all of the pieces. Something flickered past Haou's connection quickly from Jaden, and I didn't quite understand it.

Desperation

Haou swatted away the feeling as if it was an annoying gnat. I grinned as I landed once again, this time right where I needed to be. **"Desperation doesn't exactly make it seem like you're so high and mighty."**

**_Neither does blindness and deafness._**

**"Senseless babble will get you no farther ahead Jaden."**

**_You shall refer to me as Haou. You know exactly what I mean Nicholas, you are half-empty. You are blind and deaf to all things from that missing half._**

**"I don't need compassion if that is what you are speaking of,"** I snarled, pointing a tapered finger to command my troops to set up their tents and to separate themselves into groups again.

**_I mean exactly what I say._**

The connection died.

I shook it off with and harsh bark at an Aven who was lacking behind his group. He sped up with fear for his life, which suited me just fine. I stood and waited for my messengers to gather around me and get their packs ready. "Take your leave right now," I ordered them, gesturing towards one of the tents being hauled up. "You'll need energy to fly back to the castle and gather the rest of my troops."

"Reinforcements?" one of them asked, confused. I smirked down at him and he glanced to the side to avoid my gaze.

"Something like that," I agreed, turning away and walking towards another section of tents to brief more of my soldiers. Nods and raised glorious fists greeted my walk as they recognized my authority over them, and I smirked again. My feet finally carried me to the second battalion, and my most prized warriors and speediest fliers. They were setting up their blankets as well, grimly smirking in my direction before returning to business. I pulled aside one of them, Golan, and made sure that he knew what to do in his brief leadership role. He nodded roughly, unsmiling. We both walked off in opposite directions.

* * *

**(Jaden POV)**

**8:20 am**

I was barely aware of Haou talking to someone—maybe himself, I don't know. I was crouching next to Jesse, Alexis holding onto one hand and her other hand on the wound cutting through his stomach. My other hand was covering hers and we both glowed a steady gold, red, and white. I grit my teeth, my eyes shutting as pain erupted in my mind, my power pushing past every barrier that I had armed. Alexis flinched as she felt some of my pain and refocused herself to try and ease it.

"Hiya!" Mels cried as she chopped at a water sprite that tried to break past our circle. Yubel finished what she had started with a slash of her claws. Orange dust entered our circle, and everyone panicked briefly from their duels.

"He's still alive!" Chris called over the noise, assuring them that we hadn't let Jesse die during the second wave of attack from Everlost.

"Please hang in there Jesse," Mels barely managed to whisper. He cracked open one of his emerald eyes (even though we had specifically told him to save his strength) and said, "Jessica, remember?"

She let out a sad little laugh before blocking another enemy—a naiad. Yubel fell to my side suddenly, her dual color eyes sharp. "How much longer?" She looked up at Chris impatiently, waving aside the duel monster that was attacking him effortlessly.

"Thanks--Jay? How much longer can you hold out?"

I didn't dare make a sound. I could just feel the waves of power spilling into my division and charging through my body. Anything could make me lose it, even with my angel by my side helping me. Speaking of which, she turned her hazel eyes on Yubel and muttered, "Not long enough." My fingers twitched slightly, the only movement that I had done in the past ten minutes of torture.

_Lex._

Jaden?

_We have to try and control it; we can try to heal him._

But you said—

_I know what I said! I can't just sit around and let my friend die!_

"Yubel," Alexis verbally spoke, startling the spirit slightly. My protector looked down at her empathetically, waiting. "Can you lend us any power?"

Her eyes narrowed. "What are you thinking?"

"We're going to try and heal him instead of just preserving him."

"Are you crazy?!" Chris shouted, bashing the helmet of some underwater creature in two and then flinging some back with hard shots of wind. I could tell the others were listening in as well even though they were bound to have more problems than Mels and Chris with defending themselves.

Mels was unusually quiet, her gaze falling on Jesse's twisted face. "Let me help," she said suddenly. "I'm a Yuki too, there has to be something I can do."

"But Melody," Alexis started. I cut her off.

_She's right Lex. Let her help._

Jaden, if she can't handle this...

_Look at how she looks at Jesse Alexis. She'll be able to._

She bit her lip and then nodded at Mels. My little cousin circled over to my right side, which was unoccupied now that Yubel was covering for her. "I'm ready," she swore.

Lex was looking at me, I could tell even though my eyes were closed. I was painfully aware of every living thing around me and how they would be the first to be extinguished if this proved too much. Mels' and covered mine and Alexis'.

_Go._

"Go," Alexis echoed for me, and I drew as much support as I could from the two females, gaining a brief insight into their thoughts as I did so. I was stunned by how fierce Alexis was in her metal onslaught against Haou's powers (which made me wonder quickly what Haou was doing at a critical time like this). Mels had her thoughts sprawled out like my room at Duel Academy and all I could pick up was emotions from her, but that was enough to let me know just why she wanted to help, even though she wasn't aware of it.

I was suddenly aware that I was breathing incredibly heavily and my heart was threatening to pop out of my chest. I dug my feet into the ground as if it would help steady me and I let it loose, trying to convince myself that it would listen to our minds and heal Jesse instead of killing him and then them.

I swayed, almost collapsing, but Melody caught me with her free arm. "Come on Jaden, we're right here with you. We can do this!" she whispered in my sensitive ears.

She pushed me back into a comfortable position and I felt her resolve double, almost matching Alexis is intensity. I had the crazy urge to smile and laugh like a madman, but managed to at least control that part of me. I felt my focus starting to slip under the bending and mind-numbing pressure, and suddenly I had no idea where I was. The pain was too much, and it was blocking out everything else. I wished it away severely, not remembering why I was in pain. Why is it so dark? Oh, my eyes are closed.

_My eyes opened, lazily travelling over the rivers of red, slurring in and out of focus. I let out a little chuckle. Why was there so much red? Did Jesse spill ketchup on himself or something?_

Jaden!

_I heard Alexis, what was she doing here? I turned my head to look at her, feeling as if I was trying to move through a weird thick fog. I smiled at her, feeling some frayed urgency at the corners of my mind. What was that?_

_**Focus you incompetent fool!!**_

_Hahahaha... there's a voice in my head. Hello voice!_

_Alexis made a noise of pain from next to me, but I felt pleasantly numb myself._

_**Do you want to kill your friends?!**_

_Huh? Whachatalkinbout? My mental tongue slipped over the words until they were hardly comprehendible. Something screamed at me to wake up in the back of my thoughts, but I ignored it._

Pain, pain, so much pain!

_Where did that thought come from? I turned, Melody was here too? But that wasn't her voice, it sounded like me..._

...Have to focus! Can't let Jesse die! Can't lose another friend! Won't lose another friend!

_... Jesse's dying? My head moved again. He did look rather pale, like a ghost almost. Maybe he fell in a bag of flour or something..._

...Ouch! Ow! Damn it! I can't control myself anymore! I'm slipping... NO! I can't slip! I can't give into this! I need to stay focused! I need...

_... What am I worrying about? Everything's fine. Nothing to worry about. I feel strong, powerful. Shouldn't I get rid of Jesse's pain for him? That would be the friendly thing to do; I shouldn't make him suffer anymore..._

... NO! I won't kill him! Heal, heal!

_**Focus! Don't let yourself slip! I won't be able to do anything; you're the one who let it out this time!**_

_... There's that voice again. Hmm... I wonder if that's normal. Maybe I can ask Sartorius when I'm done here. He'd probably know 'cuz of the light..._

... Focus!! Can't think about things like that! Jesse is in danger! Jesse is dying! I have to heal him!

_... Why heal when it's easier to destroy? It would save us all so much time. Besides, it'd be so much easier to save this entire world by just ending it... no one would miss anyone; they'd all be gone..._

... No! Stop it! Stop messing with my thoughts! I've got to beat this; every second counts to save Jesse's life!

_**That's it, keep fighting! I'll do what I can to hold it back, just don't give in—**_

_... Silly little voice in my head. Why should it try to hold back this power? It's so good; it's just what we need. I'm a rebel right, so I want to end the fighting, and why would I get rid of something that can do that so easily..._

Jaden, listen to me!

_Hey, it's Alexis again, how'd she do that?_

You're slipping up, I can feel how badly this thing is manipulating you, but don't give in!

_Manipulating? It's not manipulating me, it is me._

Jaden, you're not going to give up on me again, are you?! Do you want to kill me again?! What about Melody?!

_Kill you? No, Lexi, I won't kill you. Melody will be with Jesse if she wants, I just have to..._

... NO!! My hand jerked away from Jesse's wound and went to my head, gripping it tightly. My hand, not its hand. I can stop this! I have to!

Jaden?! Is that you?! Can you hear me?

Alexis?

**_Help him Alexis, as much as I hate to ask, I'd rather not be eliminated by myself._**

I'm trying!

I felt something soothing coming from my left hand, remembering that Alexis was holding it. I removed my hand from my forehead, surprised at the red coating it.

The hell?

**_Jesse, you fool!_**

I put my hand back down on the wound, taking advantage of my small moment of sanity. Jesse made a strange sound that came from the back of his throat as his body started to repair itself, and I breathed again. That was close, so close. I can still feel the darkness...

_... this is obviously hurting him. The skin started to disappear again and Jesse stayed silent. There, see? It's better. No noise no pain... I could feel Jesse's heart slow and I smiled crookedly, seized with an urge to laugh again. I grinned instead. So much power..._

... Stop it! We're stronger than this! I pulled at every ounce of willpower I had within me to control myself, to just simply control my thoughts. My hand went back to Jesse's side and my healing seeped into him. I was dimly aware of Alexis' eyes on me and her presence in my mind, but I was painfully aware of her beating heart and everyone else's around me. All of this life was here, and part of me wanted to destroy...

_... no, not destroy. Free them from this pointless war. Make the dimensions at peace again. With these two gone, other worlds will settle down and lose fear of invasion. All I need to do is... I looked at Mels suddenly and balked. Her eyes..._

... I can't do this to her! I can't do this to Jesse! I can't do this to Alexis! My motivation shifted. I can do this! I can save him—I can still save all of them! My hands trembled and something wet was dripping on my forehead; probably from my handprint. Jesse was making noises again and this time I recognized them as gulps of air and groans. His heart started to level out.

_...What's the point? He'll only die eventually anyways. In two weeks as a matter of fact. I'd be better to let him die and make it seem like I tried rather than be betrayed by me... I huffed. Or better yet, I can just go and end the Queen's reign and then turn to the Overlord..._

... But I made a promise to Mels that I wouldn't kill Nick without trying to save him first!

_... And I made a promise to her to take her to her..._

I was shaking violently, my breathes barely even existing. This ware was proving too much for me, and I was going to crack soon. I had to finish this now!

**_Then do it!_**

For once, I listened to Haou. I fought, violently, with ever weapon that I had. Every memory of my friends, happy and sad, was being used against it. I thought of Mels and how torn up she had been when Nick suddenly closed himself off from us one day. I thought of meeting Jesse on the roof and then searching for him through another dimension. And lastly I thought of her, my angel, Alexis.

_(Flashback)_

_I was waiting for Alexis at the top of the spiral stairs in the Girl's Blue dorm, trying my best to ignore all of their chatter and gossip about me as the girls walked by. I tugged at my shirt absently and let my gaze wander until I saw Atticus at the bottom of the stairs being chased by his usual hoard of girls._

_"Hey Atticus!" I called as he neared. He spotted me and waved heartily, making a beeline for the stairs._

_"What can I do you for lover boy?" he answered, pausing as the girls (who had chosen to wear heals to impress him) stumbled up the stairs._

_"Which room is Lexi's?" I asked, giving the girls a wary eye. He smiled and thumped me on the back of the head before taking off with a final:_

_"Eleventh door on the left!"_

_I waited until it was safe to cross over (thanks to Atticus' fan-club) and started counting to myself._

_"Six... seven... eight... nine... ten... eleven!"_

_I knocked on the door and heard her immediately. "No Atticus you can't hide in here!"_

_I laughed whole-heartedly. "It's Jaden, Lex. Everyone else just went chasing after Atticus."_

_"You're alone and ready for our first date?" she asked from the other side, clarifying that her brother wasn't trying to pull something._

_"Yep!" I announced, hoisting the picnic basket even though she couldn't see it._

_"Good!" The door swung open and she crashed into me, her lips melding with my body. We exploded together like fire to gasoline and the kiss didn't end for a few minutes. I blushed brightly when it ended and Alexis answered, "I just thought I'd save us some awkwardness later!"_

_I followed after her spluttering something incoherent. I was back down to Earth when we reached the stairs and noticed that she was wearing sandals. "Hey Lex, I've got an idea!" I said energetically, pointing at the railing of the stairs._

_"Jaden..." she sighed, pinching her nose._

_"Come on, it could be fun!"_

_"It also could break," she added, eyeing the thing suspiciously._

_"Nah, you Obelisks have got the best dorms, so those will be nice and strong!" I assured her happily. "Come on! We'll ride down together if you're scared!"_

_"Jaden, if we ride together then there's a better chance that it will..."_

_I gave her my famous puppy-dog eyes and she caved instantly._

_Hey, it was my life and I only had a few months really to live it, so I'm going to live it in the best way that I could! Having fun with you! I wanted to say to her, but of course I couldn't so I bit my tongue and sat down._

_She gave me a hard look before sitting down. "If we die, blame Atticus' fan-girls. Deal?"_

_I laughed openly; she seemed to be in a pretty good mood today to be joking like that! "Deal!"_

_I gave the ground a hard push and held onto the beautiful girl sitting on my lap as we spiraled down and down. She was laughing with me soon and then suddenly her face froze. "Jaden! How do we stop?"_

_"Why would we want to stop?" I asked as the end of the railing came into view. I got my answer. We raced off of the slide and collapsed onto the floor in a giant heap, moaning and groaning. We were tangled together pretty well and Atticus had to choose that moment to run by._

_"Looks like you two animals couldn't even make it to the date!" he shouted as he ran, causing us to groan. Alexis managed to stand up and restrained herself from taking up the chase._

_"Sorry 'bout that Jaden."_

_I smirked at her mischievously, "I just thought I'd save us some awkwardness later!"_

_She looked at me, completely surprised that I had known what Atticus meant when he ran by. Then she laughed and I joined in._

_I wanted to keep having moments like this with her until the end, but I knew I had tell her eventually if she was to suddenly keel over the same moment I did. She laughed again and I just smiled, listening to the soothing sound and knowing that in the end we would be together and that was all that mattered to me._

It was then that I felt her presence next to mine and all of her resistance pouring into me, into the instability of my mind, mending me. I finally broke through my power's hold.

The wound closed. He was alive; I could feel his heart hammering under my hand.

Mels' voice was quiet, strained, "Thank you Jaden." My head pounded as Alexis' relief flooded into my being. I felt I need to reassure her and myself.

_We did it Lexi!_

That was my last thought.

* * *

**(Alexis POV)**

**8:24 am**

Bewildered, I listened to Jaden's thoughts, trying to follow the senseless rebounds and twists they were taking. Haou was muttering darkly in the background, blocking something and talking to someone else at the same time, but I didn't bother to investigate if he was talking to himself—well technically he always is talking to himself—or he was losing his sanity with Jaden.

I hated feeling this overwhelming pain coming from him, and I wasn't sure that he could even feel it because it was so deep after a while. I knew when he looked at me he was delirious, and I worried. I hadn't really understood how little control he had over this entity until this moment, and it truly scared me. I thought that Jaden could take anything and come out with a grin, especially after his recent life-threatening experiences.

But I was wrong; I should have listened to him.

Jesse groaned under us and I sighed in relief when his wound started to close again before looking pointedly away—I never liked blood. Abruptly, the sounds coming from the recovering Rainbow duelist cut off and I was forced to look again as Jaden's thoughts twisted; his voice sounding strange as it echoed through his veins charged up the kazoo with destruction.

Haou and I were trying to distract it as Melody just simply tried to remind her cousin of the ground beneath his feet, hoping for a miracle because that was what she felt they would need to save them. I could tell she was trying to remind him of Jesse now, and I also knew that none of our thoughts were reaching him anymore. His pupils grew larger and his eyes blank, a giddy maniacal look covered his face and gold started to seep into the gaze.

Distracted, I listened to his thoughts and realized that he was ranting insanely, making no sense to me at all. He seemed sure that he would kill us all in two weeks unless—at least this is what it sounded like—he promised the Queen that he would take the Queen to the Queen. This in itself made no sense whatsoever—then I combine it with the fact that Jaden had never seen the Queen and that made him insane.

My God, we were all going to die.

And even though I wanted to die with Jaden, I didn't want him to kill me. I tried to reach him again, but the blind power was blocking me out in his madness, but I could still feel the real Jaden somewhere. I searched for him desperately and found his presence slamming itself into the power in vain, more desperate than even I was.

As much as I didn't want to die by his hands, his grief for that was tripled. He was thinking of Melody now—Mels he still called her—and then of Jesse, and finally me. Then he became aware of my presence again and accepted my help, which I gladly gave. His thought were clearer now, more precise, more motivated. I came back into myself for a moment to see his face—I couldn't help it. I needed to now if he was still maniacal on the outside too. His eyes were closed, his mouth a thin line barely visible within his frown.

It was Jaden. Thank God.

Jesse shifted under me and I was distracted from Jaden into looking down at the bluenette. His eyes were open again, and he was staring at us, the three colors reflected in his awed emerald eyes. The hand found its way to his stomach and gingerly pushed aside the blood, looking for a scar or wound of some kind. It found none.

"Thank you Jaden," it was Melody, and she was in tears. "Thank you so much," she whispered that last part and I knew Jaden didn't hear it. He was barely breathing let alone listening to her anymore.

I probed his mind, surprised by the sudden stability that had righted itself again, but at a cost to Jaden. He ached down to his very soul, but he was happy.

_We did it Lexi!_ he cheered.

Then he became very silent, falling into my arms with absolutely no grace. Yubel vanished as his will to keep her on the field did, and we were suddenly open for attack. The monsters from the sea saw this and dove at us. I held onto my guardian defensively, protecting him for once, and Melody moved in front of the dazed Jesse. I felt wings brush against my back as Chris defended us from behind and activated my duel disk again. It was all I could do.

Jaden desperately needed me now in his weakness; it oozed from his every pore. Even if he had been conscious he could have done nothing but be taken by his power. He needed to recover his sanity with me. "Cyber Tutu!" I called loudly, stroking his hair gently with one hand while summoning with my other. She charged into battle and attacked the owner of one of the monsters viciously, making his own monster fade when he fell unconscious to the ground. Tutu grinned as monsters were stopped from being summoned.

"Topaz Tiger!" it was Jesse, trying to stand but falling, not understanding why he was still so weak. The white animal appeared again and sprang on an unsuspecting victim. I lost focus after that, speaking to Jaden silently, willing him to respond. Of course, I got no words from him in his run-down state. I did pick up emotions from him, so he was trying to tell me that he was still here, that other part of him that had reared its ugly head obviously had none, like Haou to an extreme extent. But that part of him had loved me as well—I could tell when it said it wouldn't hurt me and then simply ignored that it would still kill his friends. That frightened me; shouldn't it hate me because I was tethering it down?

_Haou hated me, and this was his power, so shouldn't it follow its master?_

**_Not necessarily_,** Haou answered me, surprising me again. I had to admit that I didn't exactly like him either, he made my Jaden hurt. **_You take that diary inscription too seriously,_** he added as an afterthought_. **Do you really want to hate me if means hating him too? You humans are strange.**_

_You're human too, I felt like pointing out to the sarcastic and manipulative and cold (all in one, amazing) King._ He shrugged.

**_I'm a bit less human than you are I'd like to think._**

_Of course you would, you like to be 'better' than everyone else._

His lips twisted into a smirk, which stunned me that I could even see it happening. Then I knew why, I was truly alone in Jaden's mind, he couldn't hide Haou from me anymore. Anger radiated from the small part of my love that was still aware, he thought Haou was going to take advantage of that I guess.

I took an (imaginative) step forward, peering through the darkness until I found the glow of his eyes. I figured this was more than close enough.

Haou chuckled darkly. _**Not better, I don't have to try. I like to be more powerful, and you should too. It's not wrong to want to be able to... defend oneself.**_

_But it is wrong when that "defense" entails destroying an entire world in the process._

_**I know that. Why do you think I did it?**_

_Because you're cruel and heartless and wanted to make Jaden suffer._

His eyes rolled at me, and I hated the golden hue in them. I tried to picture his face to ignore the creepy eyes, and he knew so he stepped forward out of the shadows. I found myself looking at a hardened adult, a more mature version of Jaden. I blinked in surprise.

_**Why would I want to make myself suffer?**_ He was amused, I could tell. Maybe that's why he hasn't attacked me yet.

_**...You're absolutely right angel.**_

The sarcasm was heavy in his voice. _Well why am I still here? Why aren't you killing me like you would any other soul?_

**_Tell me that your entire race isn't this thick. Then I just may have to destroy them out of sheer annoyance._**

_I find that rather insulting!_

**_That would be because it is an insult._**

I let out a frustrated growl and refrained from striking him, half-knowing because I couldn't bring myself to hurt any part of Jaden while he was this weak and another part because I was afraid of what Haou's reaction would be.

**_I would not advise it._**

_How do you do that—read my mind?_

He made a noise like a scoff. _**I can read Jaden's mind. You are currently in Jaden's mind.**_

_You don't like me. It wasn't a question for either of us, but I felt like I needed to say it._

_**No, I do not.**_

_Then tell me why I'm still here!!_

_**Because you seem hell-bent on interrogating me instead.**_

_That's not what I meant,_ I hated this half of him with shaking certainty. Something gleamed in Haou's eyes when he saw this. Unnerved, I tried another question, Why did you destroy the Dark World?

He met my eyes calmly, examining me with his impartial interest for a few unsteady minutes._ **I didn't.**_

_Yes you did you lying—!!_

**_We destroyed it. You, Jaden, and I._**

My rant was cut off.

_**His grief for you and his pain at your words made him become what he did. He felt powerful hatred, so I did as well. I just went about expressing it in a more conductive way than he would have.**_

_What would he have done?_

_**Do you want to hear the answer? I know you already know what he would have done.**_

_Just say it please..._

_**Fine, he would have ended his own life, and taken me down with him. I couldn't let that happen, and his hate was enough motivation for him to let me come out.**_

_Jaden would never let a monster like you take over,_ I challenged, clenching my fists uselessly.

**_Even angels can fall,_** he reminded me with his dead tone.

_Jaden's no angel then. He's a guardian, our guardian. He has no weaknesses._

Haou shrugged at my declaration, ignoring the passion that would make Jaden swell with pride for me. _**Yet here I stand. I played the devil, I'll admit, and it worked. Your half fell right into temptation—for power, for an escape from his pain.**_

_But he regretted his decision right away and fought against you._

_**That is why we can still speak now.**_

_But Jim said..._

Haou startled me by laughing. It sounded nothing like Jaden at all, it was so alien and terrifying that I could have sworn this was an impersonator in Jaden's mind and he had fooled all of us into thinking that he was Jaden's other half. Haou knew my thought of course and laughed harder. He knew it frightened me to hear something so vile and evil coming from my guardian's being.

_**All of you humans are the same: ignorant and stubborn. He saw what we wanted him to see, not what was really happening.**_

_Why wouldn't Jaden show—?_

_**You heard him just now. It was worse when he thought you were permanently dead. He had no hope, so he just let it take over a few times. I doubted he wanted to fill your friend's minds with the truth that they feared; that we are the same person and that he was evil.**_

_Jaden is not evil! You're his opposite, you're the evil one! Jaden is good._

Haou was silent, contemplating me for a long time. Then he turned away, inclining his head in the general direction that Jaden's emotions were coming from and opened his mouth.

_**Do you really think that I feel opposite of what Jaden does? Do you honestly think that is even possible?**_

I thought it was a rhetorical question until he turned to me. Waiting for my answer. It was strong:

_Yes._

**_As usual, you are wrong._** I hated how his tone never changed when he addressed me. I thought it made my answer more justifiable, I didn't think he had emotions at all. _I am Jaden, no matter how much you all continue to deny it. I feel what he feels, and I hate it. Love is something I despise from him especially; it restrains me more effectively than chains just as hate frees me. Now do you see?_

I was still stuck on how cold he was when he spoke and the usual hardness in the word hate did not appear in his voice. How could his hate even be so well contained?

_**You are hopeless**_. It was a statement, insulting, but true.

_You love me?_

_**Now she understands.**_

Sarcasm, nothing new. _And because you love me, you hate me?_

_**Finally. This is why emotions are so pointless; they cloud your judgment until you can't see what's clearly in front of your face.**_

_You. Love. Seriously?_

_**I shouldn't, but Jaden and I are a unique exception. I intend to solve why and then fix it as soon as possible.**_

_But you won't hurt Jaden!_ He gave me a long, hard, stare-down. Unfortunately, I lost that fight and backed down, mumbling something that would make him stop. _Fine, you are Jaden, so you wouldn't be able to hurt him._

_**She's catching on.**_

_Why do you even bother talking to me then if you hate me so much because Jaden makes you love me?_

**Even Kings get bored.**

I scowled. _Well, if it's any comfort, I hate you too._

_**I know, and that's the problem.**_

_Huh?_

He gave me the irritating evil villain smirk and waved me off with hands identical to Jaden, and then his presence was gone.

_Hey! I'm not done questioning you yet! Get back here!_

Damn it, why did these Yukis all have to give me a headache?! They are so hard to read and can distract you so easily!! Unnngh!

A hand jerked me out of Jaden's tired mind and back into my own world—well—not mine, but... aw screw it!

"It's over Lex." It was Jesse, leaning heavily on Chris while Melody cleaned off the blood that still cloaked his stomach. I watch her careful movements with mild interest, finding comfort in such a soothing and repetitive motion.

"You should probably get him back into your world," Chris commented offhandedly, watching as our friends rounded up unconscious bodies and tied them up. To my confusion he continued, "It will take stress off of him. Any other world has his err..."—he glanced at the humans surrounding him, suddenly listening very hard—"adapting thing—the bad guy... Haou? Yeah, that was his name. So Haou can have more of a presence of mind here in Evermore cuz of the wings. So take him into his home world and it's easier for him to come back to himself."

I had to give him credit; he made the slip sound like an honest confusion in names and sides of Jaden. The others shrugged it off and went back to their tasks as I tried to support an unconscious brunette boy with huge wings hanging limply behind us. Chazz surprised me by taking Jaden's other arm and heaving.

"Walk," he said simply, locking his ebony eyes on the shimmer in the air.

"Thank you Chazz," I smiled, giving him all that I could allow, and maybe all he had wanted after months of chasing me—a smile and recognition. Maybe when all of this blew over we could finally be proper friends instead of pursuer and angry cornered wild animal.

I saw the spark of giddiness in his eyes at my smile and almost sighed when it reminded me of the puppy-dog look he often got when trying to court me. He must have noticed because he turned to look straight ahead; the happiness not leaving his eyes. Great! What have I done now?

"Oi! Lessinhop!" he halted, making me stumble slightly and jostling Jaden, who flinched. Said fairy turned 'round to see us. "Where does this thing let out?"

Chris pulled the map out of his pocket (although it now had a big tear running down the middle) and shrugged. "A park I think."

"Good enough for me," Chazz mumbled like he always did, leading the way with his fast walk. He didn't even pause for thought as we walked through the portal, as a matter of fact; he was starting at Jaden's wings the entire time. I followed his gaze, not understanding. "Wanna see what happens to them," he grunted, squinting as the light of the portal shone. For a brief second I could see only multiple colors, and then we were in a lonely park with a wingless Jaden. There were holes in his shirt where they had been, the only real evidence that he had the potential to soar far above our head. "I will solve this mystery eventually!" the raven-haired duelist declared loudly. "Nothing can stop The Chazz!!"

"Help me move him over to the tree," I ordered, hauling at my big load, Chazz's ego.

He consented, considering the huge oak before us. Suddenly he spoke, "I'm really relieved to see this tree. After what felt like years of just flat land and underground... Pathetic, isn't it?"

"No, it's not," I assured him, plopping down at the base and thus dragging the other two males down with me. Chazz made a noise of protest as he stumbled from my sudden movement but otherwise we sat in complete silence, me moving Jaden's head to my lap, taking one hand and wiping away the red handprint on his head with the other. "Thank goodness no one is around to ask questions."

"They wouldn't ask, they'd just call an ambulance," he commented lightly, which was true. I could still hear the jealousy in his voice that Jaden still had my heart after all of this struggling and pain. He wanted that from me.

"Chazz..."

"I know Lex—Alexis," he amended, recalling past attempts to use my pet name failing miserably.

"You can call me Lex or Lexi or Lexis too Chazz. I do want to be your friend; nothing can happen between us, I'm sorry."

"No you're not," he sighed, running one of his hands through his spiky hair absently. "You love Slacker, not me."

"You still insist on calling him Slacker?"

"Yup," he answered stubbornly, making me smile. But his eyes were frustrated.

"What made you like me in the first place Chazz?"

"You're a very likable person Lex." He was very eager to use the pet name. I sighed.

"Not exactly what I meant Chazz. It just kind of came out of nowhere, it surprised all of us," I clarified (or at least attempted to).

He shrugged, almost like he didn't know either. "I just don't get..." he began hesitantly, "why I would suddenly fall like that and not have the feelings returned in any way. I'm a loner, I don't like or need company."

I could hear the lie when he said he didn't like company, but didn't call him out on it. I waited.

"It was like I woke up—after getting out of that weird book—a different person. I think it was cuz my soul was trapped, but I was awake. I wanted company then, because I was... err... anxious to know if we had failed. You were the only other person. So maybe I started liking you then, because you made me less alone... and you're beautiful Alexis. That certainly helped things."

"You'd make a good detective," I managed sadly.

"If only I could figure out a way to make you love me," he muttered. I wasn't sure I was supposed to here it, but I did.

"I do love you Chazz, just not in the way I love Jaden."

"I know I know, you're his angel, he's your guardian."

I froze at the phrases and stared at Chazz blankly. He groaned. "Come on Lexi!"—he really liked using my nicknames—"After everything we've just learned about Slacker you still don't believe what Nick said about soul mates!"

I just stared at him for a while, still not following what he was talking about. Then I remembered my initial conversation with Nick Yuki and shuddered. "Yeah, I believe we were meant to be Chazz," I bit my lip. "But I don't know about soul mates still. I believe in love, and that concept is still pretty new to us, I don't think destiny will go well with Jaden anyway, he doesn't believe in it."

"Yes he does," Chazz insisted eagerly, happy to be aiding me.

"What do you mean?" I wondered, wiping the blood off on the grass and taking a bottle of water out to finish cleaning Jay up. He stirred slightly and we held our breath, but he fell still once again.

"Slacker never said he didn't believe in destiny exactly. He just believed that one could choose his or her own destiny."

"Isn't that the same thing?"

"No, he could choose anyone, anything to center his life around. He could have stuck with dueling, or hung around those warring worlds, but he didn't."

"What does that have to do with destiny?"

"Would you have been able to be with him if he strayed off to help this world on his own?"

"No."

"There you go."

"Chazz—I still don't..."

"I chose my destiny to be you Alexis." We both started and locked eyes with Jaden, but he was only looking at me, his eyes soft, weak. "That's what Chazz meant."

We stayed silent until he drifted off again.

"Chazz?"

"Yes Alexis?"

"I wasn't lying when I said I loved you too."

"I know, and that's good enough for me. Friends?" he seemed satisfied in an odd way. I smiled, holding out my hand to seal the accord.

"Friends."

* * *

**(With Blair, Marcel, Bonaparte, and Crowler)**

**9:33 am**

Blair sneezed wildly as dust rained down from the library she was supposed to be helping to burn. She had been asked to grab and important document on one of the shelves—which she could barely reach in the first place. And now she was covered with dust.

It could be much worse, she berated herself, I could be the dust next.

That helped a little.

"Blair, vous bénisse," Marcel called from the other end of the library thing. She assumed that meant bless you, but wasn't sure.

"Thanks?" It sounded like a question. He laughed and went back to work, silent as usual. Blair bustled back to the opening of the medium sized room and passed the document to some guy named Lucian. He checked to see if she had blundered before making a disgusted noise and passing it on. She growled at him and went to find the next thing on her little list.

She found the correct 'isle' and also found Marcel in it. He was shooting angered glances at Lucian, but Blair knew he wouldn't do anything. It really wasn't in Marcel's nature to be aggressive, these past few days accepted as out-of-the-norm. "He treats us worse than we threat Americans," he commented in his lovely accent, and she had a fan-girl moment, nothing out of the usual. He blushed when she squealed and put her hands on her cheeks, squeezing her eyes tightly and shaking her head wildly.

I thought he was used to this reaction by now.

Lucian shot them a dirty look, so she hugged Marcel just to make him angrier... and well, ya know, 'cuz she loved him and all. "Blair," he muttered, easily embarrassed as ever. She simply smiled and reached up to find another old tattered map.

After half an hour they were done collecting everything that they could not afford to lose and were pouring some substance that reminded them of gasoline but was more of a solid then a liquid. When Allian checked in to see how things were going—looking grim as she always did—Dr. Crowler couldn't contain his curiosity any more. He asked immediately.

Allian shrugged. "It's a substance you get from some trees here, like umm... Maple syrup?" she offered, fumbling over the breakfast materials. He had been dubious.

"Trees can't produce something like this! It's illogical."

"You humans have a screwed up sense of logic then," she snapped back, pointing at the barrels that still needed to be dumped. Everyone understood her message and went back to work.

"What about forest fires?" Bonaparte piped up unexpectedly. Allian smiled wryly and we all cringed.

"That's why there's only one major forest left and why the Overlord doesn't keep so many dragons with him at once anymore."

"Oh."

* * *

**(Portal Team!)**

**10:30 am**

Jesse tried to stand up again and failed miserably, but this time Melody finally hit him over the head. "Stay down stupid!" she scolded him, but not very viciously. She just seemed relieved that she still could smack him and get a response.

"But I'm fine!" Jesse complained as the others kept peering through the portal to see if Jaden was doing any better. His voiced lowered dramatically. "Melody, there's something that I have to ask you..."

"Uh-oh, he said my real name, this is gonna be big!" She teased him, sitting down so that she could hear him better if it was personal or secret info. Jesse smiled at her lighter tone and shifted, causing their hands to bump together.

"Whoops! Sorry," he said, shifting it away again without even the slightest trace of a blush. Melody was curious, too curious to even notice that their hands had touched. She poked his nose impatiently.

"Tell me."

"Right, well... Haou can't make people disintegrate." It was point-blank, matter-of-fact.

"Isn't that a good thing?" she asked after a pause. "Besides, how do you know that?"

"Yubel possessed me," he said simply. "So I know everythin' that she did, and she knew all about Jaden."

Her jaw dropped. "B-b-butt! You! H-how?! WHAT?!"

He shrugged. "Just thought I'd share that with you—so you can stop pretending to be alright now."

"Why didn't you say anything sooner?" Melody demanded, twisting to look into the emerald eyes that she had avoided until now. But now she knew why they were so piercing, because they really did know.

"Because you guys clearly didn't want me to know," he replied without any remorse. "I've been tryin' to steer them in the wrong direction for you too," he added as an afterthought, "but Alexis is a lot better than I am at lyin'. So she's his real angel then? Wait, don't answer that, it's obvious. But I don't get why Jay could stop my wound from gettin' worse, but he couldn't heal it without it hurtin' him. That's what I was gettin' at."

She stared at him. "You're clever." It sounded stunned, not exactly a compliment. He made a face at her in objection. "Sorry, you just... how oblivious you were to what I was hinting at with Jaden... I just didn't guess that you'd be well... smart."

He laughed, catching Melody off-guard again. "You're right, I had no plumb idea what you were talkin' 'bout with Jay, but I am a bit smarter than what you give me credit for when it comes to my family. And you, Jay, and Lexi are all part of it, so I do all that I can to protect you guys!"

"But they're family to you to," I pointed out, gesturing towards the others.

He nodded, his blue locks crashing into one another in waves. "Yeah, but I owe Jay and trust him a whole lot more, and you're Jay's literal family! So 'o course I'm gonna protect ya'll first! That and I like you more," he teased, sticking out his tongue and pulling down the skin under one of his eyes childishly.

"You're lucky you're cute," Melody huffed, turning away. He cocked his head to the side blankly for a sec before trying to stand up while she was distracted. He got halfway up before his legs wobbled because of the blood loss. She was there to steady him. "You are like Jaden. You're both too stubborn for your own good."

"Well you're like Lexi!" he shot back. She blinked.

"How? I'm pretty sure I'm mellower than Alexis."

"Yeah, you're alike because your nickname and names have the same amount of letters in them!"

"And I thought you were smart for a second there..." Jesse stuck out his tongue again and Melody rolled her pink eyes, at a loss.

"You should be resting Anderson," Zane commented, looking over his shoulder at them.

"Should've, would've, could've," he responded automatically. He turned back to Melody. "You didn't answer my healing question!"

"I know," she said, playing with a strand of her hair, waiting for Zane to turn away. Zane ignored them and summoned another Cyber Dragon to protect our new little safe haven. Good.

"Jaden's power is... weird," she attempted to explain. "As long as he can keep whatever he's doing between destruction and change he can hold back the full force of the flood. But as soon as he tries to do something else, like heal, which is change, the whole power is very active and it wants out."

"Why? Why does keeping things in the middle... like preventing change and destruction, not let everything loose?"

"Umm... All I can think of is this: His power has two potentials to it, it can be evil used in a good way, or evil used to create more evil... which is like the decision everyone wants Jaden to make between Evermore and Everlost. Those are the two evils, but he chose the Rebellion, the middle that has no preference between sea and air, and so his power isn't breaking free, it's just weakening him. It's the same concept as far as I can tell with everything else. Well... he can use the destruction as long as Haou has all his chips in too because that was the part of the power that Haou is supposed to use. But Jaden and Haou never agree even though they are the same, so that power is far out of Haou's grasps at normal times, nothing to worry about there."

"But destruction is technically a change," Jesse pointed out.

"This change is different Jesse. This change is positive, and no matter what way you spin it, destruction still lead to losing something, a negative. I guess he just has to keep things balanced out."

"If this starts turning into a math equation I'm leaving," he announced, so she poked him in the knees this time.

"Yeah, since you can really walk just fine big guy," she smirked, putting him back down. He tried to look wounded and failed so settle for watching what was going on instead. All of the Gem Beasts were prowling about and any of my monsters that would walk around on land were about to. Syrus stuck his head through the portal again and suddenly pitched through.

They all practically sprinted to him, afraid of another attack. It was in vain, because he stumbled back through muttering apologies. "Sorry, I tripped. It's not the end of the world every time I fall down!"

Muttered apologies made their way through our group, but stopped when Melody spoke up. "It could totally be the end of the world! What if you fell into a teeny, tiny portal that led to some world full of teeny, tiny people and you crushed their teeny, tiny world!"

A few chuckles rang through them at Melody's wide-eyed innocent ploy, identical to what Jaden could pull at any given time. Then Syrus spoke up, "Then how can I fit in the teeny, tiny portal? What are you implying Yuki?" He was trying to act like he was big and tall and strong for our entertainment. He could tell how wound up we all were from how close we came to not only losing Jesse, but losing Jaden to "Haou" in the process.

"That you're a shrimp," Axel announced unexpectedly. We all burst out laughing, included the small bluenette.

"We should get going soon," Chris announced after about half an hour. "They'll need to know that this is safe to escape from. Who's going to stay? Any volunteers?"

"I'll stay," Zane said immediately. Aster volunteered next, followed by Axel, Jim, and Pegasus. Melody hesitated, looking at Jesse unsurely. He smiled at her and told her that he'd be just fine without her for a while, his ego still needed to recover. She stayed too.

Hassleberry and Syrus both fought over going to get Jaden, racing to the entrance and then trying to shove each other away when they arrived. It took longer than necessary, but no one was stupid enough to try and interfere. They arrived back with Jaden slung over Hassleberry's shoulder and Alexis looking miffed. Chazz said he would stay and offered Alexis his Hippogriff. She accepted and helped him lock Jaden in place before climbing on behind him and wrapping her arms tightly around him to grab the reigns.

"That's how you do it!" Syrus shouted at Atticus suddenly, pointing at Alexis' tight and secure grip on the controls. The elder Rhodes laughed and flailed the things around like normal. So their takeoff was rather messy. The other laughed—or smiled in Zane and Axel's case.

Jaden came to about three-quarters of the way back, groggy. "Eh? Where's the ground?" his voice was slurred. He didn't seem to notice that someone was holding onto him because he sat up and peered over the edge of the winged beast curiously. "What kind of a weird dream is this?"

"Reality," Alexis responded, scaring the brunette enough to jump out of his skin. She smiled at his scare and he blinked at her, more than confused.

"Lexi?" he asked. "Where are we? What's going on? How long was I out for?"

"Yes, back to base, Nick is approaching with a very big army, and about an hour... maybe."

"Thanks," he said while crouching down so she could see over him.

"No problem Jay."

"Oh and Lex?"

"Hmm?"

"We did it," he was smiling, she could tell by his voice.

"Yes," she agreed, resting her arms on his back while steering the beast that flew them, "we really did."

* * *

**(Time skip)**

**11:50 am**

Gently, they placed the once again unconscious Jaden down on a bed that had been dragged out into a few hidden halls that they hadn't known existed before this day. Alexis covered his body with a thin blanket and Melody fluffed his pillow. Their shift for protecting this portal was over and now she was protecting her only relative she could lean on.

Jesse was up and hobbling around again helping in any way that he could, guilty that he was the cause of Jaden's state. He had already confessed to Alexis that he had known, and she had asked him a peculiar question in response:

"Do you know how much time we have left with you?"

He hadn't understood, and neither had Melody, which had caused Alexis to hesitate and look like she was going to say something, but in the end she didn't. The pair had known then that there were still secrets left between them, but they had accepted it. Some things should stay bound in the Guardian Angel's love.

Alexis wanted to stay by his side until he woke up again, but Holly needed help collecting herbs for reducing fevers and stimulating blood growth and removing pain and other weird stuff after she healed up a few scratches on Jaden absently. They had all gone when they saw how big the containers were.

Soon after that they helped with burning everything that hey were leaving behind and then Holly found them again, holding out pills to all of them. They stared at them blankly.

"Don't eat those," she warned. "Jaden would skin me alive if he knew I was even telling you about them. They're poisonous. We give them to all of our members in case they get caught."

"I'm sure that we won't be able to get them to swallow it," Jesse said, attempting humor and failing.

"You don't get any, you're not part of the Rebellion. No one here would ask you to do what we do to protect our secrets, you don't know them. None of you are responsible for killing yourselves on our behalf, you here me? I just need you to take those bottles to Darkal; he'll distribute them for you. Don't take any. I have to go heal Lucian; he inhaled too much smoke from the library. "

She walked away and they all stared at the little bottles in agreement, taking one each and putting them in their pockets.

"Just in case."

* * *

**(Time skip)**

**1:45 am**

He was alone.

His eyes opened slowly, blinking slightly at his new surroundings before he sat up lethargically and made his limbs come back to life.

His golden gaze fell on Jesse's sound asleep form next to him and Zane on the other side in a sitting position. He cleared his throat. They didn't stir. Perfect.

He put his foot in front of the first and visa-versa. He was moving quickly and efficiently through the corridors, not needing to hide in the shadows now. He could hide in the crowd just as easily and without losing any energy.

He knew where he could hide and rest too; he had found this entrance with a red-head he couldn't properly remember...

Illusions only work one way, he could see out perfectly. He could rest up here safely before making his move.

His hands pushed against the wall that was not a wall and he slipped inside without any other soul knowing any better... except for one, the man already in the tunnel. He looked up, surprised that someone else was here too, but his mild surprise did not match the shock written on the other man's face to any degree.

They stared each other down. His head cleared.

"You're a traitor?"

...

**(AN: This part was fun to write because only I know who's saying what—so don't get too confused, I did this on purpose—and I had to keep going back so I wouldn't use names!)**

...

It was met with stunned silence and wary eyes, searching for an answer in the others. He took a hesitant step forward, caught between wanting to catch him in the act or take care of him now.

"I don't believe this!"

More silence.

"Well, actually, I can..."

He was too surprised to act, having caught the other right in the middle of his scene upon his entrance into the hidden chamber. The other was looking for a way out of the situation, thoughts racing in his eyes that could defend his position. Finally,

"I'm no traitor, you are."

He didn't take too kindly to that, making another aggressive step forward.

"Your eyes show only lies."

"I was born that way." The response was dry, perhaps an attempt at twisted humor. But it died in the stale air that swirled around the two.

"So was I."

His lips pursed together in a thoughtful way. "I'm going to turn you in."

"You have no proof."

"I saw you."

"Yes, but will they believe you?"

"Of course."

"Are you really that sure?"

Hesitation.

* * *

**(Alexis POV)**

**1: 50 am**

I glanced up suddenly from next to Allian and Darkal, smearing ink all over the document I had been making up to try and fool the troops when they came. My useful sixth sense was blaring—Jaden was in some kind of trouble.

"See something Alexis?" Darkal asked without pausing, taking his little white pill and putting it in an easier pocket to reach. I stared at how he handled the suicide pill so calmly and blurted out, "Jaden's in trouble."

"Again?" Allian groaned, but she wasn't annoyed, she was concerned. "Do you know what it is?"

I tried to focus, standing up and heading towards the door with them at my heals. "Umm... I can pick up that he's tired... and scared? I don't know for sure, he's too tired to maintain any clear thoughts right now... I think."

This feeling really bothered me too much. What was the point of having this great connection if he can't use it very well while he's recovering from a power breach? He should be able to talk to me easily whenever he needs to.

I was very worried that he even struggled to touch my familiar thoughts when he was this weak. I knew how much our love strengthened him, I had witnessed that firsthand today. So why wasn't he talking to me?

"He's not in his room," I told them as Darkal strayed towards the corridor. "He's somewhere around here..."

* * *

**1:53 am**

"I have to kill you."

"Then do it."

"You are poison and you will be the death of us, and then this world."

He struck, drawing his sword quickly and the other went to do the same, only to find that he didn't have it with him. Silver danced across his face as he slashed at him, but he sidestepped as fast as he could, glancing up to see if he could get the higher ground. It was no good, the cavern was too low.

"The only good traitor is dead one, have you ever heard that?"

He swung it again, and he ducked in response, the silent battle continuing.

"Why don't you scream if you think that they will trust you?"

"I can't scream."

"Why?"

It was a distraction, and he tried to subdue him again. He failed as he back away and into the bigger space to get more room.

"The same reason you haven't yet."

The sword went low and he jumped onto his attacker, falling with him. The weapon cluttered to the ground, out of their reach. His hands tried to pin him down, but he pushed him back to the side, and they both tumbled before scrambling for the steel. He tackled him to the ground, and the other rolled so he was on top, and the sword was now under him, he could feel its flat outline against his wings.

He face lowered down so he could leer in his face.

"You can close to figuring out the truth," one of them said. "But I can't let you know."

The top one sneered, his hands went down against his throat and squeezed. He thrashed, gasping and making desperate noises until his feet found his attacker's stomach and sent him flying. He crashed against the stone wall and went to the floor in a heap, dazed. He picked up the sword.

The other was on his feet now and the pattern continued until the sword was knocked away again. They grappled with each other with their bare hands in the room, both wanting to live very much, until others poured in.

"Jaden!" Alexis cried out to her guardian as he panted and swayed dangerously on his feet. The other saw them and pointed at the dirty blonde, racing towards her.

"You both must die!!" he hollered. "You are poison!"

"DON'T TOUCH HER!" Jaden shouted, kicking something up with his foot and then throwing it like a dart.

The sword.

His hand had just grabbed Alexis' skin before it shattered to dust, leaving the sword to fall onto the ground. She stood, frozen in fear.

Allian pushed past her and went over to Jaden, pinning him against the wall herself and searching his eyes. He flinched at the rough handling, but didn't protest. He seemed to understand. "Why did you kill Lucian Jaden?"

"I woke up a few minutes ago," he started, trying to draw up the situation for them. No one could tell he was lying, "and I went looking for you Allian to ask how much soldier Nick had. I probably should have stayed in bed, I know, but I hate being cooped up and feeling helpless."—the three nodded, they knew that about him really well—"And I got tired and needed to rest, so I ducked in here so I wouldn't get in the way of everyone moving around." He was panting harder now, and that made his lie all the more plausible.

"How does Lucian come into play?" Darkal said quietly, saying nothing more, only watching the young teen.

Jaden gathered his breathe before continuing, "He was already in here."

"Yes?" Allian prompted, not taking her piercing eyes off of his.

"I didn't know what was wrong with him at first," Jaden admitted. "I just kind of stood there. His eyes looked really... crazed almost. Like what Yubel looked like when I dueled her..." he trailed off for a second. "Right, sorry. He started saying all this stuff about orders and his duty to kill me and that I was poison or something—like he always is saying. So I thought he was just being a jerk and called him out on it. I didn't think he was being serious." That was the truth, so very deeply the truth. No one could tell the difference when it came out of his mouth though.

"He tried to kill me. That's his sword; I think you guys must have taken mine off when you laid me down, right?" They all nodded in confirmation. "And normally a spy would have just tried to subdue me when he saw that I was unarmed, knock me out, you know? But he was slashing at me so I defended myself." He rubbed his neck were the angry choke marks were and the others were concerned.

"I don't think he was working for the Overlord. I think that he was just a traitor and wanted us dead," he nodded at Alexis. "He really seemed to believe that we were the cause of all this chaos and that if we were dust, things would go back to normal... whatever normal is."

"He called us poison," Alexis pointed out.

Jaden nodded. "More than once. I wouldn't have killed him if he hadn't have gone for Alexis like that I—" he cut himself off, dropping his gaze. "I didn't want to see her dead, so I took his life instead. A life for a life..."

"Why didn't you scream for help?" Allian demanded. "You're smarter than that."

"I can't scream—I don't have the volume right now."

"So that's why you're whispering," she said a bit coldly, but she seemed satisfied enough to let him go. Alexis was by his side in a second. "Are you alright Jaden?"

He smiled at her weakly. "Yeah."

_No._

"Thank goodness," she sighed. "That's twice I almost lost you today."

"Right back at you," he responded walking forward. "Now I think I actually have some things for Holly to heal!"

He kept his tone light, but he was destroyed on the inside.

_**If you don't go to hell because of that I'll be pissed.**_

_Hello to you too Haou._

_**How much more convincing do you need Jaden? You just killed an innocent man (not that I mind). Do you want to kill one of your friends before you give up to me and let us finish the orders the Queen gave?**_

_If I let you out you'll just kill them all anyway._

_**I can't go looking for them if you let me out when you're influenced by the medallion. Besides, you have absolutely no idea how to do what you've been ordered to do.**_

_'We've' not 'you've'._

_**No one gives the Supreme King orders.**_

_Except her._

_**She gave them to you.**_

_Which also means you, since we are the same person._

_**You're dodging the issue.**_

_You're dodging the truth._

_**This is not the time for childish acts Jaden! Pull your head together and make sure you can be alone with her unsuspecting!**_

_Asleep?_

_**Preferably.**_

_Haou, I won't be able to fly over Nick's army without being spotted._

Haou fell silent.

For once the glory of beating Haou was unbearable.

Alexis and Jaden walked in silence for a while neither of them seeming to have a destination in mind.

"Jay/Lex," they started at the same time.

"Go ahead," he assured her, having pretty much nothing to say himself. She blushed suddenly, and he couldn't think why.

"I was thinking about something earlier," she stared, twirling her hair in her hand in a very anti-Lex way.

"Yes? You're playing with your hair Lex," he smiled (which surprised him greatly that she could still make him do this even after what he had just done). "You don't have to be nervous around me; I'll listen to anything you say. I won't laugh."

Her hand dropped so he claimed it in his. "Why don't we go sit down somewhere?" she suggested, suddenly dodging whatever she had brought up. But he was dodging things too, so he said nothing. Jaden led her back outside, ignoring the various members who were still running around out here. In the distance they could make out the fires fueling Nick's camp and shuddered, turning towards the stars instead.

* * *

**(Jaden POV)**

**2:00 am**

I lied down on my back and she curled up onto my side, never letting go of me for a second. She heaved her head up and looked at me from above. I blinked at the look in her eyes, she was excited and happy about something, what?

"What are you thinking about?" I asked, leaning up to peck her on the lips and then caress her cheek with my free hand. I think I made her head scramble a bit when I did this because her eyes unfocused and she put her left hand over mine and closed her eyes, feeling the warmth and tenderness radiating from the touch.

"I love you."

I smiled softly, cherishing the look in her face. I guess I had to carry out the Queen's orders if I really wanted to protect her, and I did terribly. I wouldn't be able to live with myself if she was gone because of me. Maybe Haou would find a way to get back to Everlost after we escaped from here...

I guess I did really love Alexis enough to take lives to keep her safe, and I'll admit that scared me. Maybe I could find a loophole in the Queen's orders so I wouldn't have to do this...

So many maybe's...

I wanted something absolute, and she was right next to me. "Love you more," I challenged, moving my left fingers to tickle to cheek. She laughed, squirming under my touch.

"Hmm... how much do you love me?" she asked, pretending to be thoughtful.

"I love you this much," I said, spreading my wings behind me, ignoring the grass getting caught in the feathers. She laughed.

"Oh yeah? I love you more than our world!"

"I love you more than all the worlds!"

"I love you more than the solar system and all of their alternate worlds," she countered. I watched her eyes light up with their usual passion and felt my heart ache for her badly. I softened my mind and just looked up at the stars holding her before answering in the same bantering tone.

"Someone's been studying astrology," I said. "I love you more than (dramatic pause) ... the universe!"

"Really?" she smiled, laying her beautiful head on my chest and putting her arm across my stomach. I felt giddy butterflies erupt in it at her touch and felt like melting. We hadn't been able to do anything like this is what felt like such a long time just rest together without digesting any new life-threatening information. It was what I really needed right now, and what she needed to. I lifted her chin so that I could look into her eyes.

"Really," I said, softly stroking her back now. We stayed quiet for a long time, and I was sure she had fallen asleep in my arms, so closed my eyes too. The rebels around us just ignored their presence, giving us some rare peace. I was grateful for that.

"Jaden?" Alexis mumbled suddenly, so I leaned up and kissed her forehead. "Do you really mean it?"

"Of course, that's one thing that will never change, no matter what happens to us, I'll always cherish you more than life itself."

"Then marry me," she whispered.

* * *

**(Brief Bastion POV)**

**2: 30 am**

I sat up in bed, using a candle to pour over the words of the journal. The thing was far larger than my original assumption and I could only admit that this 'magic' must have made it smaller so it was easier to carry. It looked like this girl had updated it every single day of her life! I haven't ever stumbled across such a journal before!

It almost seems like a romantic fantasy novel when I actually pause to consider my reading, almost similar to our situation. After all, Jaden is in line for the throne and Alexis would just be a peasant in this world...

This is just too intriguing to put down!

_Dear Diary,_

_Mother and I were moved over to the defense wing, we're rapidly ascending up the ladders of success here! The Overlord thought it was necessary after hearing the tale that his son told him about our struggle to keep our medicines and patients safe from harm. Jaden didn't have to convince him very hard apparently, because we were moved here today! Just after it happened!_

_Now I'm being taught classes by my mother and a few others to defend the castle, but I've been enrolled in a course that was meant to protect the Prince, which makes me laugh when I think about it. He was the one who protected me; so why would his father stick me in this course?_

_I have to stop writing now, class is beginning._

_I'm back now, obviously. The way they teach here is more fun than anything I'd been forced to do so far in this place! We are partnered up by size and just told to fight. We have pads on us, of course, so we don't get hurt. But I've known how to fight with my hands since I was born thanks to my parents so I creamed my opponent every time she tried to touch me. I'm getting a new partner tomorrow for the sake of the girl. And you would not believe this, but one of the teachers here is a human!!_

_Unbelievable, unthinkable even! But it is true. He teaches fencing (or that's what he calls it for some reason) and provides us with these skinny and flimsy little pieces of metal and white suits. We were all on edge when he walked in because of the stories that had fluttering about of humans overtaking castles with cannons and fire and horrible iron machines that shot out little metal chunks. It makes me sick._

_But he was fine apparently, because not one of us died or attacked him with these little things. But once again I've known how to fight since I was young, so I blew away anyone who challenged me (everyone did, it was part of the class). So I'm being moved up again, which makes not only my mother proud, but Jaden._

_He pulled me aside after class and confessed that he was glad I was such a great warrior. He said that he would be eternally sad if he had lost me in the raid and he was glad that I would remain safe. It embarrassed me that he was watching me show off my skill that I shouldn't have, but his praise made me glow. He also offered to spare with me instead, a one-on-one instead of him just having to be taught by his father's guards. I was shocked to say the least, but after consulting my mother I agreed._

_My stomach makes a very strange feeling every time I think about spending time with him and actually touching him, something forbidden to anyone else. The Prince is highly cherished because he is so rare among the Yuki bloodline, and he is guarded heavily against every threat that comes his way. This is rather foolish in my opinion because the public loves him and the Rebellion has already been told of his calm nature, how he himself has spoken his private thoughts to me of ending the war._

_My stomach had that feeling again. What does it mean? Perhaps I'm coming down with the flu, I certainly hope not! Missing an appointment with the Prince is out of the question. He would forgive me instantly though, that is Jaden. He is only that forgiving to me though, I've noticed he can be quite hard on others if they cross him. It is normal and expected for a future King to show a backbone so he isn't seen as weak to his subjects, so why does he deliberately go out of his way to forgive me when we bicker?_

_I don't understand humans at all, but I'm really hoping and praying that he can teach me to. I want to know him, and I don't know what this powerful urge to be with him constantly is. I can only hope that he feels it as well and will tell me what it is._

_I have my suspicions, but I'm afraid to even write it down in fear of the scandalous feeling. But I must, it would tear me apart until I was screaming it down the marble halls if I don't._

_Love._

**BWHAHAHAHA!**

**NOW THAT THAT'S OVER, HOW DID YOU GUYS LIKE IT?**

**HAS ANYONE FIGURED OUT WHAT THE QUEEN WANTED?**

**(PLEASE DON'T ATTACK ME FOR THE MARRIGE CLIFFHANGER)**

* * *


	28. The Rising

**HI MY AMAZING READERS! I AM TYPING TO YOU FROM MY NEIGHBOR'S COMPUTER BECAUSE WHILE I WAS FINISHING MY STORY ON FRIDAY, MY FREAKIN' COMPUTER CRASHED!! I GUESS IT WAS ONLY A MATTER OF TIME AFTER MY REALTIVES SPILLED SODA ON IT A YEAR AGO, HUH.**

**SO TO THOSE WHO I TOLD IT WAS COMING OUT ON FRIDAY, I AM SORRY, BUT THERE WAS NOTHING I COULD DO ABOUT IT! JUST BE THANKFUL THAT MY NEIGHBOR IS SO NICE!**

**I'M GETTING A NEW COMPUTER (TRUST ME, THE ONE I HAD WAS ANCIENT) SOON, I ALREADY ORDERED IT! I HAD TO PAY (BUT I WAS SAVING UP FOR A NEW ONE ANYWAYS) SO UPDATES WON'T BE TOO BADLY DELAYED! THERE'S STILL PAPER AND PENCILS TO WRITE ON AND THEN TYPE IT OUT WHEN I GET IT AGAIN!**

**OH, TWO MORE THINGS LEFT!!**

**ONE:**

**CLUELESSANDPROUD MADE ME A VIDEO OFF OF WITHOUT YOU_!! I THINK IT'S AMAZINGLY GOOD AND FOLLOWS WHAT WE KNOW PRETTY WELL!!_**

**_TYPE IN "WITHOUT YOU AXJFAN" IN YOUTUBE AND IT'S THE FIRST ONE!_**

**_TWO:_**

**_MY GOAL IS TO HAVE THIS STORY REACH 250 REVIEW MARK, SO PLEASE REVIEW AFTER THIS CHAPTER BEFORE YOU READ THE EPILOGUE!! PRETTY PLEASE?_**

**_ONTO THE INCREDIBLY LONG (27,241 WORDS) LAST CHAPTER! YO WILL DEFINETLY NEED TIME TO READ THIS ONE!_**

**_THANK YOU GUYS FOR BEING AMAZING!! _**

**_(WIPES AWAY A DRAMATIC TEAR) JK _**

**Chapter 26**

**(Jaden POV)**

**2:15 am**

"Then marry me."

I laughed, ruffling her hair with my free hand absently. "Yeah Lex, we'll have a rocking multi-dimensional wedding. Can you imagine the invitations? We'd have to conveniently lose Nick's invite of course, but where should it be? Do you prefer tail, wings, or neither?" I laughed again, and she bristled under my touch.

"Jaden, I'm being serious," she whispered, not quite meeting my gaze. I fell silent, just looking at her without comprehending.

"Serious?" I repeated unsurely, tilting her chin again to see into her hazel eyes. She finally looked at me and nodded, biting her lip.

"We love each other Jaden, and we don't have a lot of time left to be with one another. Why shouldn't we make it official?" I noticed that the rebels suddenly distanced themselves from us so that we could have privacy, well at least they're thinking logically.

"Lex... we're only seventeen," I had to make it clear.

"We might as well be eighty-nine Jaden!" she snapped, offended that I hadn't jumped at the offer. "We'll be dead before we turn twenty!"

"Alexis... I just..." I failed to find the words. "Listen Lex, I do love you and I always will... but marriage?"—wasn't she supposed to be the intelligent one in this relationship?—"Alexis, I've never even met your family, and you haven't met my mother. We've hardly been dating for a month. We're in the middle of a warzone. We can't just go off and get married like that! We should just let it wait for a while; get to know the other's families first. What would your parent's think if you suddenly were engaged to someone they didn't know? Think about it Lexi!"

"Then elope! We don't have the time Jaden!" Alexis snapped, sitting up and removing my hands from her hair. I just lied there, watching her watch me. She leaned closer again until our noses just brushed together and stared into my eyes, hers imploring all of her pure intentions. "Jaden, I've just been thinking lately about what Niemona told us, and I've made my own goal that I want to happen before we're gone. I... I want my grave to read Alexis Yuki; I want to die yours and only yours Jaden. That's how I want us to be remembered, not the perfect young couple, but the madly in love newlyweds. Can you understand that?"

I was at a loss for words, and she could tell. Her eyes softened and she bit her lip. "I'm sorry for just springing something like this on you Jaden, it's not like you don't already have a full plate of things to think about, but please consider this. I just love you too much to not let the world know."

I objected, "Lex, trust me, this is the best thing I could think about on my 'plate'. I will think about it, I promise. Just listen to me for a sec; I do love you more than enough to marry you. I do understand. I do want to be with you forever. Remember that. I love you."

She smiled sadly and curled back up on my chest, staring at the stars. "Thank you Jaden." I squeezed her hand tightly in response and kissed the top of her head, still a bit shaken up by this turn of events. But somewhere in my tangled heart I felt a soft glow that thawed the tension of all I had been forced to do. I had someone who truly loved me and wanted to marry me, and I'd always have her. That just made my life so much more bearable.

"Sleep well angel," I whispered in her ear.

* * *

**(Nick POV)**

**2:21 am**

I watched with precision as my best men filed out of camp and into one of our portals to earth, satisfied. Things were going as planned, as usual. My other men were sleeping with the exception of the watchers who had taken their leave earlier in the day. Now they silently prowled the air around us, waiting to raise the alarm at the first sign of any rebel activity.

I already had the exact location of the Rebellion pinned down thanks to the bodies I had flown upon with our arrival. All it took was a bit of willpower and messing with memories of the half-dead rebel to get the information out of them. It was a harder challenge than I imagined because most of them had keeled over before I had even touched them. Later I discovered they were taking poison pills or stabbing themselves rather than giving their secrets up to me. Or even, like Alice, playing tricks or illusions to try and confuse my men into killing them first.

I hated to admit we had only been able to stop two before they killed themselves or got us to for them. But, they were all I needed to determine the location of their home and of portals closest to them.

Yes, all was going as planned.

* * *

**2: 30 am**

Allian threw down a document rather aggressively as she stood, her feet pounding against the stone to the tempo of their leaking time. Darkal watched her pacing with calm eyes, saying nothing. He had no plans to save them; no safe houses up his sleeves for them to hide. Allian was all the hope they had left to survive.

"We can go to the hotel first," she was suddenly saying, her wings moving agitatedly. "And see how the Everlost Rebellion is doing. Consult Mystic, make sure Mrs. Yuki knows Melody is alright." Darkal nodded in approval, waiting for the next step in her thought process. Allian bit her lip and continued to move, going faster and faster to match her thoughts.

"Nick knows the human world better than us, so we'll be at a disadvantage. Jaden and his friends can guide us through it by night so we won't startle anyone with our wings. We'll have to stay somewhere with water for the sea members, so maybe an island somewhere? Jaden mentioned something when he was younger about several small islands dotting one of the Earth oceans. We could send out Ondine and her top men and woman to find a safe haven."

"We can't fly there," Darkal added slowly, prompting his leader.

"Right, so we'll have to use a boat or a plane otherwise it's within flying distance for Nick to find. And it'll have to have a lake or something without any portals in it inland so we can avoid anything from the Queen. We'll need to stay away from the beach and hide in the middle, so a forest—or maybe mountains. Nothing too thick or we'll be in danger of wild animals and disease from bugs..." Her brow furrowed at the complications. "We don't get sick very easily, so as long as we can figure out a way to shield ourselves from mosquitoes, we'll be back in the game. It will need to have a portal into both worlds at some point on the island but it will also have to be hidden from recipients on the other side of the gate. This is difficult." Her electric blue eyes looked up, sullen. "Any input?"

Darkal thought about it for a little while and offered, "We could go to a desert and find a mesa, maybe one made from an almost inactive volcano. When Lillian stumbled on one of Jaden's geography textbooks she couldn't stop talking about how there are tunnels left over from old lava flow underground and natural springs with clean water from the center of the Earth. She commented that it would be like our Earth base. Finding portals would be hard around the desert because of the constant sand and sandstorms but it's doable."

"Perfect," Allian nodded, "we can look for that on wings. We'll split up right after we leave and search. Both teams will need to keep one mirror with them at all times and never let the connection die in case of emergency. So we'll leave at dawn and keep chatting with each other as we go. We'll have to let it go at night and then reboot it when the sun comes up again, but it's the best we can do."

"What about Jaden and his friends?" Darkal inserted suddenly, leaning forward slightly so that the thin scar over his eye was visible behind his hair. She flinched at the sight of it and then continued to answer his question.

"Right, he'll be normal again when he's back home, so he'll stay at the hotel with his classmates and Gravelon and the other members who can't fly right now because of... injuries." She clapped her hands together once as if calling for attention to an unruly classroom. "Alice should've been back by now, which means the worst has happened. We'll have to hold a memorial for her once we settle down again. I've noticed a few others missing as well, so Yuki most likely has our location, no more luck on our side."

"We're moving out tomorrow before first light, spread the word with me. You take the men's corridors; I'll take the woman's."

"Are you sure you don't want to switch?" Darkal chuckled, and Allian came to a crashing halt, her eyes fixed on him.

"You just made a joke," she said. "It truly is the end isn't it?"

"Every ending is the start of something new Allian," Darkal shrugged, getting up and walking out the door.

Allian scowled at his back and shuffled out likewise, cursing lightly under her breath. She sighed, releasing the tension in her lungs and walked with Darkal up to the front of the woman's corridor to start from the beginning.

They walked in a comfortable silence, stopping all that darted past them to tell them the news. Finally unable to bear the quiet, Allian glanced at Darkal out of the corner of her eyes only to find him doing the same thing. "What?" she snapped, narrowing her eyes.

His lips curled into his usual smirk and he said nothing for the longest time. Then, "You looked a lot like your mother there Allian."

That caught her completely off-guard, but she didn't let it show on her face at all. "And your point is?"

Darkal shrugged, "I was just thinking that I was glad you chose us over him."

"Of course I'd choose the Rebellion, you were the right path," Allian said with confidence, squarely meeting Darkal's eye. "What does that have to do with me looking like my mother?"

"I didn't mean physically Allian. The look in your eyes matches hers when she was the leader here."

Allian frowned again, infuriated by Darkal's lack of answers. Of course they both knew that he did it on purpose as it was the way of his kind, but that didn't stop her from grabbing his shirt collar and giving him a hard shake. He smirked again and sighed quickly afterwards. "She was our greatest leader Allian, and I think that you are matching up to her in greatness."

"Like daughter like mother," she answered, watching his exposed eye carefully.

"Then why does it still bother you when you see my scar?" he demanded quietly.

"Why can't you ever just get down to the point with these things instead of dancing around the issue and making me seem greater than I am to try and get me to answer?" Allian growled, letting go of his shirt and walking forward again.

"Because you don't answer if I ask any other way," he said slowly, brushing the hair out of his face and then chopping it shorter with his sword haphazardly. Now the thin line was visible to all that came across him. "And I wanted to know when I'd be able to do that. I hated it in my face, it's impractical."

Allian stared at the mark marring his face and briefly decided that it wasn't as bad as she had made it out to be. But still, it was her fault that it hadn't healed properly. "If you hated your hair in your face why did you have it there?"

"I'm very tolerant," Darkal shrugged, "and I was waiting for a time when it would not be a burden on your rule Allian. Now is that time, you've moved on, we all have. You need to acknowledge it as well."

"You've been saying more than you ever have in these past few days Darkal, what do you know?" Allian asked after an appropriate length of time.

"Nothing absolute," he answered. As soon as the quiet stretched between them for a solid two minutes she was sure that was all he was going to say, but then he said, "But I do have this feeling that something is going to happen, something that will change the face of this war."

"For better or worse?"

"I am a fallen angel Allian, it's always for worse."

* * *

**(With Jesse, Syrus, Hassleberry and Melody)**

**2: 52 am**

"Ouch!" Jesse shouted, backpedaling smartly from the wooden stick Melody was sparring with. He cradled his injured fingers objectively as the other two charged at her bellowing like morons. Melody simply moved backwards so the two crashed into one another like in an old cartoon. She sighed heavily.

"I know you guys wanted me to teach you more ways to defend yourselves, but you're doing it horrible! And it's late; you should probably be getting to bed."

"It is not late, it's early ma'am!" Hassleberry announced, loudly, punching his fist into the air. "'Sides, nothing can keep a good soldier down!"

Syrus groaned and pushed Hassleberry off of him, retrieving his glasses from a few feet away irritably. Jesse was still nursing his hand, the wooden stick he had carelessly tossed to the side.

She sighed at the pathetic display. "If these are what men are like today we're all doomed," she muttered at them. That roused them back into fighting position, save a few seconds where Jesse had to find where she had knocked his stick to. "Alright now, show me what you're made of!" They stayed a reasonable distance away from her, waiting for one of them to go first. "Oh come on!"

"Fine, fine! I'll go!" Syrus answered, and then he whispered to Hassleberry, "Jaden's real best friend would be more willing to help him so he'd train harder!"

"What?! Not so fast Private! I'll go up against the Serge's cousin before you!" he shouted, butting Syrus out of the way. Of course that didn't go down too lightly with the bluenette and soon they were fighting each other with the make-shift swords, occasionally yelps of pain coming from them whenever they landed a blow. Melody sighed again and Jesse laughed.

"Now if only we could get them to fight the enemy like that instead of each other," she continued, tossing her 'sword' off to the side of the empty training room.

"Not gonna happen any time soon I think," Jesse answered as Hassleberry continued to swing the stick like a caveman at the shorter rival who used his size as an advantage to move away rapidly and then launch his own swift jabs that usually hit their mark.

"Ouch!"

Well, maybe it didn't work that time.

"I'm going to hit the hay," Melody yawned, revealing her teeth to him before turning away. "Make sure they don't kill each other 'kay?"

"Wha—hey! Don't leave me here like that!" Jesse announced, jerking his thumb at the feuding friends. "I don't know how to stop 'em!"

"Like this, paying attention Anderson?" she called, walking over to the boys who now had angry red stick-marks all over their arms. She grabbed both of them by the wrists and jerked down so they both pitched forward and knocked foreheads together, knocking them both out silly. "Got it?"

Jesse slowly backed away from the younger girl, waving his arms around, "Yeah, I got it alright!"

She yawned again and gestured at him to come with her, "You coming or are you gonna stay here with the sleeping beauties?"

"Comin'!" he announced and walked rather quickly to her side, casting an apologetic glance at the now sleeping forms of Hassleberry and Syrus. Now it seemed like they were in a snoring contest, they never gave up! "So you use a water deck, huh Mels?" he commented, trying to start up a conversation with the youngest Yuki.

"Yeah," she answered, blinking rapidly as if trying to clear the sleep from her eyes.

"That's strange considering you're in the Rebellion. Shouldn't ya have a mixed deck then?" Jesse wondered, petting Ruby when she appeared on his shoulder. Melody shook her head no and picked up the little duel spirit and held it in her arms like a kitten, stroking her just as delicately. Ruby snuggled right into her arms and let out a little content sound, making Jesse smile softly.

"Nope, I was part of the Everlost Rebellion Jesse, so it was more natural for me to use a water deck," she explained, taking it out absently and handing it to him. "Wanna look?"

"Are you sure?" Jesse asked, taking her deck and holding it out in front of him. Melody nodded again, tickling Ruby under the chin. "Cool!" Jesse announced, pulling out Maiden of Aqua from her deck, "Axel says that this monster helped him a lot in the Dark World! It's cool that you have her in your deck!"

Melody smiled softly, looking Jesse right in the eyes. He blinked, "Wait, did you send her? But—how?"

She picked up the card and looked at it happily when her maiden waved at her in the card, then she turned her gaze up. "Jaden's mom called us when he went missing at the school. So I thought that'd he'd be visiting another dimension. I sent out my Maiden to look for him and protect him, and she found Axel in the Dark World and wanted to help save the world she had become trapped in. Helping to save Jaden from darkness was no happy coincidence."

"He's lucky to have someone like you as family Mels," Jesse smiled. "I'm pretty sure none of my cousins would send out duel spirits to go looking for me if I went missin'!"

"Don't worry Jesse, I would. I'll watch over you too," she said, rubbing the sleep out of her eye. "You'd do the same for me, right?"

His gaze softened when she spoke and he gently answered, "Yeah, you can count on me Melody."

She noticed the abrupt change in tone and blushed slightly from the tenderness in his voice, not knowing how to deal with it. So she held out her hand in front of her to shake his hand, Ruby now watching from her shoulder. He looked surprised, but offered his to her, and shook it firmly. "Deal Jessica."

...

* * *

**(Jaden POV)**

**3: 59 am**

When I woke up I felt safe and secure. And warm too, like someone was on top of me. Blearily I opened my eyes and saw Alexis sound asleep, her torso on my chest and her arms placed gently on my arms that held her close. She was still breathing deeply, signaling sleep, and I smiled, just watching her. She was just so beautiful.

A strand of hair was hanging in her face, and I was seized with the urge to brush it away, but was incapable of doing so if I didn't want to wake her. So, using my brilliant source of creative inspiration, I leaned up slightly and used my lips to softly push it to the side. I kissed her forehead after that and smiled when she mumbled my name. I wondered what she was dreaming about curiously and decided that I'd see if I could find out.

My eyes closed again and I searched for her always watching presence. I found her conscious after looking for a few seconds and mentally reached for it. When I opened my eyes again we were back in Duel Academy. I looked for her and found her standing on the edge of a cliff, boldly defying nature.

"Hey Lexi!" I called, waving my hand in the air. She turned and saw me slowly, and then she ran and captured me in a hug, moving her hands over my back.

"No wings," she sighed happily, pulling me closer. I smiled.

"None," I assured her, "just me."

"Good!" she shouted, stepping back to look me over. "How did you get back so soon?"

"It's just a dream Lexi, I'm visiting."

"You woke up before me?" she gasped, looking openly surprised. Then the world around us started to deteriorate into black. I glanced around, tensing. "Whoops, I don't think I was supposed to know I was dreaming," Alexis added, watching with some curiosity as her body started to fade away as well, waking up.

"I'll remember that," I told her, stepping out of the collapsing dream as well. She caressed my cheek before she was lifted up slowly and faded. The sight struck something sad within me, and it made me feel like I was losing her, so I hastily exited the nothingness, hoping to find her with me again.

I opened my eyes just as hers started to flutter, and Haou's night vision gave me a clear glance into the beautiful hazel irises. Her pupils were huge in the dark night, and the sight made me laugh a bit. She flicked me on the forehead.

"That was for waking me up," she grumbled. "I was having a good dream."

"Oh? What was it about?" I asked her.

"Well, for starters I was twenty," she said, "and still alive. I was waiting for you to come back from a tournament in Domino and you were taking a short cut through Evermore. I was teaching at Duel Academy. We were going to plan out our anniversary when you came back, but then you interrupted it."

"Jeez, I can't be early? I'll remember that later; always be late," I teased her lightly, holding her chin in my hands and moving to kiss the top of her head. She laughed.

"I should have known it was a dream because you showed up early. In real life that could never happen!"

"True, very true," I answered. I frowned, spotting something in the distance. "Hey, what's that?" She sat up and squinted at where I pointed at, along with several other rebellion members around us.

"I don't know..." she started, frowning. "Is that fire? Like lanterns?"

A murmur of consent flirted through the small crowd of rebels. "That's weird," I ventured. "Are the portal members trying to signal us or something?"—I turned back to the crowd—"Someone go get Allian and Darkal, they'll need to see this."

"I'll go Jaden," Gravelon's voice stated before he shuffled back into the base. We waited until their rapid footsteps carried them to our sides and we all told them what we thought was going on.

"Hmm," was all Darkal said. I blinked in surprise when I saw his face without the hair hanging in his eye—and the scar. I hadn't ever really noticed it before.

"They wouldn't signal us if there wasn't any trouble," Allian announced, peering even closer in the dark. "What do you make of it Darkal? Any vibes?"

He shook his head.

"Do you sense anything Allian?" I wondered, knowing the response would be a harsh glare, even if I didn't mean it in a negative way. She glared at me, just like I said, and grit her teeth.

"Do I ever know Jaden?"

"Yes," Darkal answered for me. "And once is more than enough."

We were all abruptly taken aback by that, but let it go as more and more little dots of light appeared on the horizon beyond the cliffs. "What is going on?" Alexis said, more confused than any of us.

"I don't know," I admitted, pulling her closer to my side absently. "But I'll protect you, whatever it is," I whispered into her ear. She looked up, smiling.

"That's the Jaden I know," she said back, putting her arm around my waist too. "But you don't have to worry Jay; I'm not the reckless one."

"I'll worry anyways," I admitted. "I already lost you once, and that pain is something that will haunt me the rest of my life. I won't let it happen again."

"I know you won't."

"It's an army!" Allian shouted suddenly. "Look, there are too many numbers for it to be part of the Rebellion, and they're coming from the portals! They must have made their way around the in the human world."

"We're surrounded?!" Chris shouted loudly. We all jumped, looking to Allian for advice.

Her eyes were darting around the small fires in the distance. "Jaden." I stood up, pulling Alexis up too without realizing that I hadn't let go.

"Yeah?"

"Get Niemona and tell her that we'll need her to fight after all."

I nodded, grabbing Alexis by the wrist instead and dragging her after me. She stumbled down the first few steps but then caught up with me.

"What difference will Niemona make?" she asked, not rudely, but just curiously. "You, Allian, and Darkal took her out before, so what can she do?"

"She didn't want to hurt us Alexis, that's why we won. She probably could chase us off just as easily as she can kill us. Trust me, if Niemona had wanted us dead, we wouldn't be here."

I tugged her into another staircase that led to the deeper parts of the Rebellion, forsaking the easier flight on the outside in case of spies. "Niemona!" I called, bursting through the door.

She looked up from whatever she was eating—I didn't want to know what it was—and eyed the two of us eagerly. "Yes little ones?"

"Nick's got soldiers stationed out by the portals lighting campfires, and we think that they snuck through Earth to get there."

"So we are surrounded and you need me to fight?" We both nodded and she stretched out her wings, getting the stiffness out of the powerful muscles and tendons. "I'll go now."

"What—why?" I demanded.

"The night hides me more than daylight, and I can catch them unaware. I will return if things get out of hand, but they will wait until the morning to attack."

"Why would they do that?" Alexis asked, baffled.

"To give the other half time to recover from their long journey over I would imagine. And to bring discord into the Rebellion, the reason why they even alerted us with their campfires. They are hoping to scare us into submission," she yawned as if it bored her. "It works for most places, but here it will only make us want to prove them wrong. I will see you in the morning. Be safe young ones."

She lowered her shimmering head to us in a respectful bow, and we copied her. It wasn't long after that her talons were clicking against the stone as she moved forward and tossed herself out of the side of the hidden entrance. Alexis and I watched her for a few minutes then lost her with all of the murkiness of the night. Now the moonlight that shone off of her scales simply looked like stars, a perfect cover.

"Want to fly up?"

Alexis nodded, hopping into my arms. We were unusually quiet, and the night seemed to respect that, no noise drifting up to meet either of our ears. I think it was then, staring out at the fires that trapped us in; I truly realized how little time Alexis and I did have left. I looked down at her, noticing she seemed to be thinking along the same lines, her eyes distant, and said the one word that would change our lives.

"Yes."

* * *

**4: 27 am**

"Syrus! Sy! Wake up!" Jesse called, shaking the little bluenette's shoulders to try and rouse him from his Melody-induced slumber. Hassleberry was out for the count still, but the European teen decided to wait for him to wake up on his own in danger of the "dino-instincts".

"Whasahappenin?" Syrus sleepily asked, opening his gray eyes slightly to see Jesse, who looked uneasy.

"We're surrounded," he said flatly, nervously glancing around the cave as if the walls had ears. "And Allian is preparing a... err... frontal assault? She wants to make sure that we all have lots of things to defend ourselves with..."

"How much soldiers are there?" he asked, alarmed into sitting, thus waking the slumbering dino-lover.

Jesse bit his lip and sighed. "Too much. Jaden set the dragon on them and she's doing a perty good number to them, and the Rebellion will be able to fight their way out with the numbers down..."

"But?" Hassleberry added, settling for listening.

"But the other half of the Overlord's troops are already approaching. Allian won't say it, but I know we won't have enough time. They'll catch us from behind before we can make a break for the portals..."

"Jeez, I'd never imagine you'd be the bearer of bad news Jesse," came another voice. They all turned around to see Jaden standing in the doorway, his expression solemn.

"Yeah, well," Jesse shrugged. "I'll go down fighting at least."

Jaden's expression hardened. "I won't let you guys get hurt, I'll find a way to get all of you out safely."

"Just be careful Jay," Syrus said slowly, looking Jaden up and down. He finally settled for looking into the brunette's chocolate eyes. "And don't do anything foolish."

He gave them a crocked smile saying, "Oh come on Sy, when have I ever done something like that?"

_"So what's a fiancé?"_

_"That's French, isn't it?"_

_"Or are you really a boy disguised as a boy disguised as a girl?!" (rough translation of Jap. Blair episode)_

_"GETITOFF!!"_

Jaden blinked innocently and the others sweat-dropped. "Where's Alexis Serge?" Hassleberry wondered, curious as to why the usually inseparable pair was... well... separated.

"She's changing," he shrugged, folding his arms over his chest. "So you guys coming? Even if you can't fight very well, Allian wants you all to get weapons... probably something magical that you just have to throw. She won't put us in the main bulk of the army; we'll be acting as archers."

"Magical weapons?" Jesse blinked, standing up from his crouching position and walking over to Jaden.

"Yeah, a few people here can use magic, like sprites can use illusions or pixies and angels can heal." He pursed his lips as if getting his facts straight. "We've got a few half-elementals running around here that can use lightning and people like Chris who can mess with wind, so they can push all of that power into small circles like this," he said, taking out a small electric yellow orb from his belt pouch. "All you have to do is touch this mark"—he turned it around a showed them a little lightning symbol—"and toss it."

"Like a grenade kind of?" Hassleberry wondered, eyeing the thing suspiciously. Jaden nodded, putting it back in its place on his belt before he pulled his green shirt over it.

"Yup, so come on, let's go find Bastion!"

...

* * *

**(Bastion POV)**

**4: 33 am**

_Dear Diary, _

_Heavens above! Today was the most glorious day that I have ever witnessed since I was sent here with my mother! I feel as if Cupid's desired arrow has embedded itself deep within my very soul and filled me with a joy that could never be ruptured, by cheeks still tingling from his touch. I feel like the giddy school-girls I despise, and I do not care for once! Love is just such a marvelous thing!_

_I shall record my tale here so as to never forget it. _

_It all began after my first sparing lesson with the Prince—with Jaden, he insists that I call him that. Oh Jaden..._

_He walked me out to the bench in the gardens and sat close to me, close enough that my wings brushed against his back. Then he turned to me, his green eyes soft and tender, and just smiled. But that smile is enough to melt even the coldest of hearts. _

_"I am glad that I can be alone with you," he said, joy pulsing from his usually calm demeanor. "I can never be alone with anyone without my father's guards watching. It's nice."_

_I found that I was staring and looked away quickly, my face feeling hot. "I agree, Prince Jaden."_

_"You don't have to call me Prince," he chuckled at my feeble attempt at formality. "Is something troubling you? You seem distraught."_

_I looked at my feet shamefully, searching for something to lie about. I should have known he would see my feelings; all of his family was sensitive to what others felt. "I just... was wondering something, Jaden," his name rolled off of my tongue more naturally than ever, like his name always emerged from my quill. "How did you know we were in danger when the Everlost tried to take over the castle?"_

_He looked pensive, his eyes still turned in my direction. "I felt as if something was calling to me and trying to tell me something, something that endangered you. But I also felt as if it was someone else telling me this, but I had to go to see. What did happen?"_

_"A few girls performed a summoning spell with some herbs and spices I had ground up earlier. But... summoning spells can only reach humans when it's the one they care about deeply—" I stopped talking, feeling his hand on my cheek. He turned my head gently to look at him, and our closeness jumped out at me again. If I just barely leaned forward, our lips could brush..._

_He did not remove his hand as I thought he would, he kept it tenderly against my skin, caressing it. I stopped breathing. "What is the problem then? I do care for you deeply. You are the person who is closest to me, I tell you everything. Why wouldn't I be called by it then? Do you not care for me in return?"_

_"Of course I care," I breathed barely, just lost. The one I had fallen in love with was touching me in a completely non-friendly romantic gesture. "The problem is I..."_

_"You?" he prompted quietly when I fell silent, berating myself for getting lost under his words. _

_"I care too much," I whispered, trying to escape his eyes, but it was useless when I saw what they held. Hope._

_"There is no such thing as caring too much, otherwise I would be guilty as well," he answered. And he kissed my cheek. I pulled away, knowing I shouldn't but couldn't help it._

_"We can't! I'm not royalty, I'm just..." I stood up, nervously stroking my feathers which were standing up._

_"You are no servant girl anymore," he told me, standing and grabbing my hands to put them in between us. "You're someone who is training with the Prince. Don't be afraid." _

_"Is that why you talked to your father? To make me look better?" I asked before I could hold myself back and remember my place. He didn't seem angered, much to my relief._

_"No, I did it so I could be closer to you. You have talent, and you don't want to end up in the warzone, I don't want you to end up in the warzone. It would be a waste of such a beautiful girl. And this way... if we are ever attacked again, I can be right by your side to protect you. Perhaps I do care too much... but that doesn't matter. I want to be with you, not any foolish Princess that may be thrust upon me from other worlds or higher society families."_

_"But..."_

_"But nothing. This is how I feel, and how I will always feel. Something that feels this wonderful is not wrong, and I know you feel it too. Whether you accept my feelings or not, I hope that we can still be friends, still be close." He refused to look away from me, his eyes almost pleading now. _

_This is really happening; he loves me just as I do him. How could this happen? I can't... my mother would..._

_I searched his eyes again and found suddenly that my mother didn't matter any longer. All of her plans could rot in hell for all I cared, as long as I was with him._

_"I-I love you," I told him. "I've always loved you, even since we were young. I just... I never thought that..."_

_"Say no more," he commanded lightly, and he kissed me. _

_My gosh! Whatever repercussions come from our being together, I would like to believe that I will take them easily. I don't know if I would make a good Queen by his side, but I do know that he would make an excellent King. I'll support that boy until the end of time; he'll always have hold over my heart. We cannot tell anyone yet, we must wait. I managed to convince him of that much. I would hate to bring his father's anger on him; I know it is something fierce. _

_So we will wait, together, until I am older, until we've both grown to bigger and better places, to announce our love. I await the day._

I chuckled as I continued reading the novel, captivated by the story. This girl was clearly so struck by love that she was high on the feeling. It made an interesting read. I wonder what happened though, because Jaden did obviously not end the war. Perhaps he was killed before he could...

I skimmed through the next few pages, waiting for something to catch my interest again. Fighting, advancing another level in sparring, the human teacher explaining that the mid-evil times were already over in the human world and just catching on now, her reaction to a corset...

_This thing is pure torture! It constricts my breath and traps my movements in its horrendous claws! I would much rather die than wear this, but unfortunately it is what all members of the castle must wear! I'm sixteen; I don't need a torture device that makes my breasts look bigger just to please society that we can pull off anything a human can! That race is so... strange!_

_Jaden said when I complained to him, "If you can learn to fight in that, then you can certainly defeat any enemy you come across! Besides, you look beautiful."_

_Men..._

Amused, I turned the page and read another interesting passage:

_My mother and I were talking about things that I will not write down here and we stumbled across the most curious of abnormalities. I had leaned against the wall in a fruitless attempt to catch my breath in this hideous corset and the wall moved! It led into a small room that simply looked like some of the marble had collapsed on itself. Mother says it gives her an idea, but I didn't like it under there, so I left._

I shrugged and turned the page, scanning briefly over a few mushy scenes the girl had devoted countless pages to and hopeless doodles of which I could not decipher to save my life. I did chuckle at them, which caused Chazz to look up from his deck at me, puzzled. "What's so funny?"

I held up the journal. "Love-sick teenager."

His eyes narrowed. "You got a problem with love-sick teens geek?"

I was about to reply when our door opened and Jaden, Jesse, Syrus, and Hassleberry poured in. Jaden eyed the journal curiously before he flickered his gaze elsewhere, taking in the two of us.

"Slacker?" Chazz yawned, stretching out like a cat. "What're you and your lackeys doing here?"

Jaden flopped down on my bed next to me and looked grave. "We've got a little problem."

"We always do," Chazz muttered, rolling over so his back was facing us. "So what is it now? Haou take over you and kill someone?"

Jaden flinched horribly, and I started. Surely Chazz wasn't correct, Jaden wouldn't allow that...

"No, it's kind of worse, but thanks for the vote of confidence Chazz," Jesse cut in, his eyes watching the brunette closely.

"I did kill someone," Jaden piped up suddenly. We all stopped what we were doing and I dropped the journal. His eyes held unbearable sorrow. "Lucian. He was a traitor. He tried to kill me and went after Alexis. I did what I had to..."

An awkward silence fell between all of us, Jaden staring at his shoes. Well that explains why he reacted to Chazz's comment like that, I concluded. "Surely that is not your bad news," I interrupted the silence, "a traitor is dead and you are alive? That's good news. What has you all tense?"

"Overlord-dude sent his troops for a stroll through Earth and they came out where we were going to escape," Syrus answered shortly. "We're going to get magical weapon things and chuck them at the enemy if I understand properly."

Jaden nodded. "I'm sorry for getting you all involved like this..."

"Jaden," I said, managing to get my two-cents in, "when will you understand that we want to get involved and help you? You have helped us all, and we are going to return the favor in any way that we can."

"But you guys are risking your lives for me! Your futures are bright, I'm sure of it, and I don't want you all to throw it away by getting stuck in this conflict with me!" he looked like he wanted to say more, but he restrained himself.

"Your future is the brightest of all of ours Jay," Jesse said, sitting next to him and putting a hand on his shoulder. I mirrored the European duelist's actions. "And don't act like us not helpin' would do anythin' to how long you've got left! If we didn't help you, you'd have less of a chance of pullin' through! We're here to help you buddy!"

He looked like he wanted to say something again, but he held his tongue. "Come on," he started, heaving himself up, "we'd better go to Allian. I'm sure Lex and Melody already have to others rounded up."

I nodded and put the book in my backpack that one of the rebels had given me, moving aside the water to fit it in. I made sure that the caps were screwed on tightly (magically sealed, I should have known) and moved out with them, Chazz trailing behind lazily, talking to his three Ojama brothers.

...

* * *

**(Jaden POV)**

**6:00 am**

"Niemona!" I called urgently; rushing up to the dragon sprawled out on the ground. She lifted her head and looked up at me with a toothy grin.

"Hello little one," she greeted, seemingly ignorant to her many wounds and the people around her trying to heal them. "And hello human friends and angel."

My friends warily approached the dragon as I kneeled in front of her scaly cheek. "Where are you hurt? What happened? Can I help?"

"I'm fine little guardian," she chuckled with a roll of her green eyes. "The healer pixie and her apprentices are doing more than an exceptional job on healing me up. You just focus on helping your friends. I was just hit with arrows and swords is all, I've handled worse. I just came back to get my second wind to help the fight again. Someone has to carry you all when you drop your little weapons on the army."

I sighed in relief and Alexis came up to me, taking my ring finger with hers absently and smiling.

"I see," Niemona said, heaving herself onto her front paws. Holly made an annoyed noise at her patient and the dragon lied down again, amusement in her eyes. "One-hundred years ago I never would have imagined I was taking orders to a pixie in a pink dress."

"Yeah, well, sometimes we never see things coming until they hit us right between the eyes," I shrugged, lifting Alexis's finger-hold to show her what I meant. Of course, she took that literally and poked me with our fingers right between the eyes. "Hey! I was being symbolic!"

The others didn't seem to understand what we were talking about, but kept their mouths tightly shut, shifting around uncomfortably with the weight of all the various straps and holsters that Allian and Darkal had taken an hour to show then how to use and then attached to them. We waited out for a few minutes, watching the stars, before Niemona was healed one hundred percent and we all boarded her, waiting for Allian's order to charge.

Said angel was soon standing on top of Niemona's head and speaking from it to her crowd. "We all have known that this day would come for the Rebellion, the day that we face the Overlord's Army head-on. I know that our numbers are few, but we have more power than they could ever imagine. We have purpose in this world and are not blinded by hatred and rage and fear. We are fighting for who we are and what we believe in! We are fighting for freedom!"

A few rebels cheered, holding up their swords above their heads.

"I will not lie to you and tell you that no one will get hurt in this brawl, I know as much as you do the gravity of the situation. But know this, I believe with all of my being that we shall pull through this disaster and come out on top once again! The Rebellion can never truly die so long as there are still hearts that beat within all of us! So long as we still can love and forgive with every amount of hate and vengeance that amount to our dark halves. So long as there are still hearts to love and beat, the Rebellion shall never die! Today is our last stand as troublesome annoyances that just gnaw at the ankles of evil! We emerge as the force that defeated the Overlord's best effort to destroy us! We come out immortalized!!"

I smiled and tugged Alexis closer to me. She looked at me strangely and then turned back to our friends, who were mesmerized by Allian's speech. It wasn't so much the words themselves that always held our attention, but the vindication and passion behind them that dug deep into our minds and got us all fired up to fight to the death. More cheers broke out in our crowd and even Darkal let out a small grin.

"Are you ready to become legends?!" Allian shouted over the roar. "Are you ready to kick the Overlord right in the face and tip the influencing hand once again?! Are you ready to show everyone that we are no quiet force hiding like children in the wild?! Are you read for victory?!"

We all screamed this time, and someone chanted the motto loudly. I searched the person out and found it was Chris, his eyes alight with fire. Allian unsheathed her sword and pointed it towards the fires caused from Niemona and finally called, "Then attack and be no longer history! We are now the present, and let us lead the way into the future! Attack!"

Niemona opened her mouth and let out a fearsome roar as Allian launched off of her head and led the army with Darkal by her side. My dragon—still weird to think that—was soon bringing up the rear, looking sharp and aware in the early morning sky. It was still dark out. I reached up and tapped her neck scales yelling over the winds, "I never asked, how many are left for us?"

She sped up at a command from Darkal and then answered my question, "There were 5,000, now there are 500."

"Whoa! How'd you do that in two hours?!" Syrus exclaimed, scooting up to my right side and shooting Hassleberry a triumphant glance. I resisted the urge to roll my eyes.

"I discovered that they had quite a few tents packed up with explosives. Fire always helps to explode them a little early. We have them to thank for my early success actually."

"Humph," Zane snorted before he could catch himself.

"Well isn't that ironic," Aster commented, squinting against the wind. "Hey, Jaden, how exactly to we fight if the enemy can just fly up to you and attack us?"

They all turned to me as if just realizing the same thing. I spared a glance at the soldiers who were now coming to greet us half-way and smirked, grabbing onto one of Niemona's spikes.

"Hold on tight."

...

* * *

**(Somewhere in Everlost)**

"My Queen," a guard bowed, dipping his head loyally. I turned to him expectantly, fingering the medallion on my almost intangible skin.

"What have you found out?" I asked him quietly, turning my attention back to the surface just a few miles away. I could almost see the sunlight reflecting off of it.

"Our sources confirm that they are heading for the human world," he relayed, keeping his head low.

"And what of the Guardian? Has he figured it out yet?" I wondered, twisting my head back again to look straight into his face.

"It would appear as though he is still trying to find a way out of it, but he is starting to lose hope. It is only a matter of time before he appears at our doorstep with her at our disposal."

"What caused this change?"

"He killed someone, a member of the rebellion our source tells us. He claimed that the man was a traitor and attacked him and his angel, which was true. But our source doubts that is what happened after what you told us, Your Majesty."

"You are dismissed," I ordered him, waving him off with a flicker of his hand. He straightened out again, a different light appearing in his eyes.

"No, you are dismissed, Your Highness," he countered, charging at me. I rolled my eyes at the pathetic display, allowing his to drive his little knife through my skin. It passed right through me as if I wasn't all there, and I smirked, lowering my eyes to his surprised ones.

"Listen you idiot, you are not the first of your power-crazy kind that has tried to take my place, so what gave you the moronic thought that you could succeed where your brethren have failed? I am more powerful than any of you nuisances, and be thankful that I am sparing your pathetic lives. But hear this, if you ever so much as think of trying to kill me again, I will double whatever pain you try to bestow upon me, got it?" I snarled, making my eyes flash deeper red to see if he really did understand.

He nodded feverishly, staring at where his knife was lodged inside of me, the hilt sticking out of my side anyways. I took it out and displayed it to him, showing no sign of injury on me anywhere. "You had better leave for good before I dismiss you, got it?"

"Got it," he quavered, swimming away quickly and closing the doors behind him. I floated over to my window again, running my hand through my hair thoughtfully. _When will that race learn that I can't die if I'm not alive yet in the first place? All I need is to take her life..._

* * *

**(Jaden POV)**

**6: 23 am**

"AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!" everyone yelled as Niemona spun around in a steep dive to avoid the bulk of the army, breathing fire in a tornado at the remaining members. Most of them were caught in the inferno, reducing their numbers even more. But those were only those too slow to get the hell out of the way, and now we were dealing with the faster and smarter soldiers.

"Yowch!" Mels shouted suddenly, banging into Niemona's scales painfully. Jesse turned back to her, looking worried, but she pulled herself right back up, locking herself in place with her legs to rub her arm and her side and her head and her shoulder and... you get the picture. "I'm going to feel that in the morning..."

"It's already morning!" Jesse hollered back at her despite the fact that he was clinging onto a dragon's spike for his dear life.

"Exactly!" she shot back, holding back onto hers again when Niemona stopped upside-down. A few dropped swords bounced off her armored belly and then she was facing upright again, searching for a portal to secure.

I scouted the area with my eyes, alert and searching for anyone trying to threaten my friends. There! "I'll be back!" I called, just letting go. I allowed the air currents to carry me farther back and then spread out my wings, spinning like a fighter pilot and coming up on top of an archer aiming for Jim's head. He yelped when I smacked his wings together and tumbled to the ground before shooting off in another direction.

Satisfied, I flew up next to Niemona swatting at a few night fairies angrily as they darted between her paws and fire. I was just about to interfere when Mels stood up, taking a running start and leapt onto one of their backs, banging its helmet visor over its head and then bashing on the side of it with its own dagger. The creature was now flying in helpless circles and screaming, unable to see or hear anything. Its companions faltered, surprised as the rest of us were, and Niemona caught them in her fire.

"You want this open?!" Mels shouted at her poor prey, which was probably deaf by now from all the ringing. She grabbed a yellow elemental sphere from her back pocket and jammed it down the helmet. "There you go!"

"Melody!" Jesse called, standing up and stretching out his hand as Niemona flew past the night fairy. Mels planted her sneakers on the creature's wings and reached out, grabbing his hand firmly just as it erupted into dust. He braced himself between two spikes and used his other hand to pull her closer. My cousin landed firmly next to him and smiled, thanking him probably. I shrugged at Alexis, who had caught my eye.

_If it had to be anyone, I'm glad it's him,_ I sent to her. She nodded and praised/scolded Mels for the stunt. When she looked for my approval I cupped my hands over my mouth and shouted, "Awesome! I bet you can't wait to tell your mom what you've been up to, right?!"

She stuck out her tongue and focused on not falling off again. Fine by me.

**_3:00,_** Haou supplied broadly in the back of my head. I moved to the left, coming very close to my dragon as the night fairy's helmet when whizzing past me. That would have been embarrassing if it hit me...

_**More proof that I should be out right now,**_ Haou responded, yawning.

_No Haou. If you were out there probably wouldn't even be anyone left to fight after three minutes, rebel or not._

**_Probably,_** he agreed.

I shut him out the best I could and engaged a fallen angel in combat, finally ending it when Alexis tossed a white wind orb at it and blew it out of my path. "Nice throw!" I shouted, grabbing the sword it had before it impaled one of the rebels fighting below me. I noticed Gravelon on the ground running around through the tents and fending off anyone that he could. "Guys!" I pointed and they all got it. Niemona had already started to drop before I even called out to her. I forgot about that crazy dragon-liege bond thing. Oh well.

They jumped off and she took off just as quickly to cover our escape. "Gravelon!" Alexis called out as we ran up to him. Hassleberry threw two orbs at the same time and dispatched a good portion of the enemies battling the wingless gargoyle. He turned, completely surprised.

"Oh! Well hello friend of Jaden and Jaden!" he said cheerfully, swinging his heavy club onto the chest of one of the wary live members. It fell back with an 'oof' and landed on his companion's shield, trying to catch his breath. The man that he had knocked down cursed and rolled out from under him aggregately; calling for more help before Gravelon casually cut a string that supported a hastily made weapons shelf and buried him under armor and chainmail.

"What are you doing out here?" I shouted over the war cries and clashing of steel and steel. He gestured with his hand expansively over the camp. "Gathering information on which of these tents is hiding our portal! Chris, Rouge, and I couldn't find it in the air—or at least they couldn't while carrying me—so we're searching around camp. Chris stole these... walkie talkies?" We nodded patiently while the old gargoyle turned around the phone on his belt. "From one of them when we first landed here, oh look, here comes Chris now!"

We turned, seeing Chris being chased by twenty men in full armor. "I found it!" he shouted, running. He looked up to see us and added, "Don't fly or throw anything at them, there's an elemental in there somewhere!"

"How can we fight it then?" Zane asked calmly. I hefted my duel-disk. "Now you're speaking my language! Cyber Dragon!"

I noticed Gravelon had slipped into another tent while we fought and decided to follow him. My friends had that situation handled. I bent down to the ground and peeked my head around, a trick that Allian had taught me. People always looked higher when they think someone is watching them, they don't expect an enemy to be close to the ground, especially not here. I just had a strange feeling that he didn't want to anyone else to see what he was doing.

**_You're welcome._**

_Shut-up Haou._

I finally spotted him squatting down in the center of the tent, a piece of parchment in his hands with the Overlord's insignia on it.

_Oh, he's just looking through the documents now that he has a chance to._

**_Just wait, Jaden._**

_What for?_

"A-ha!" Gravelon announced to no one in particular. He toke the page and stuffed it into his knapsack with a smirk. What the heck?

He started to move towards the exit and I retreated back to my friends so he wouldn't know that I had seen him doing... well I don't know what I just witnessed. It had looked like the paper contained the Overlord's orders, so maybe he found something useful? After all, what other kind of document would be hanging around in a warzone?

"Volcanic Devil, finish this!" Axel shouted, drawing my attention back towards them. Pegasus and Alexis seemed to be the only two that noticed my disappearance, but neither of them commented. They had handled the threat and most of the guard had run off.

"So where is this portal Chris?" Gravelon sounded from behind me. I almost jumped a foot in the air; I hadn't heard him come up at all for someone who usually has such a heavy walk.

"Follow those runaways and you'll see," he smirked, heading back the way he came. "There's about seventy of them guarding the tent, so it's not that hard to figure out what's inside of it. Come on."

He jumped up onto the supports of one of the tents and ran across them like some kind of ninja. We glanced at each other and shrugged as if saying, "Well why not? We've seen everything else already. Why don't we try out ninjas?"

I boosted Syrus up to the rafters after Hassleberry swung up on his own and walked very slowly across the wood. I shook my head and went last after Gravelon, resisting the urge to stick my hand down his backpack and grab whatever he had taken from that tent. By the time we caught up to Chris (we had to stop and get low whenever soldiers darted past engaged with rebel fighters) he was already poised to attack the main tent, his sword angled away from the moonlight.

"What are you doing?" I asked him.

"Waiting for you slowpokes," he responded quietly, eyeing the large amount of men surrounding the tent. "I can't see any way in without being spotted, and we can't distract Niemona from keeping us all alive with her fire to break in. We'll have to take them head-on and hope for the best."

"Not so fast fairy," Zane cut over him. "You all are falling right for their trap."

We turned towards the older Trusedale. "This is exactly what I would have done if I was still... well I am still dark. When I lost my respect. I would place a hell of a lot of troops around one tent to make the enemy reveal themselves in a last-ditch effort to get in, while inside the tent is just booby-traps or something pointless to finish them off. No, it's not in there."

"Oh, well why don't you grace us with your endless knowledge human, where is it then? Unguarded among the many others?"

I looked at my friend, surprised at the harsh tone. Maybe the castle had changed him after all. "No," Zane answered coolly, and I suddenly didn't blame Chris for being angry at the tone Zane was using. "It would be just as well guarded as that tent."

"But then..." Syrus trailed off, confused.

"Which tent is it already Trusedale?!" Chazz growled, and Aster suddenly laughed.

"Of course!" he whispered. "I get it! That's genius!"

"Just tell us what it is already!!" Chazz hissed, practically foaming at the mouth.

"Calm down Chazz," Alexis sighed, pinching the bridge of her nose. Zane took his sword absently and then thrust it through the heavy fabric of the tent, making a long slit. He dropped down into the tent and said smugly, "It's right below us."

We all dropped down next to him, not believing until we saw the glittering piece of air ourselves. "You, my friend," Bastion said, "are quite ingenious. This tent is right in front of them so if they saw anyone enter they could easily charge, and yet no one would think that they would leave it without anyone in front of it..."

"There are probably friendly guards waiting outside for us though," Chris inserted, jerking his thumb to the portal. "That's the Overlord's most basic move. Set up a few men outside the portal to take down whoever comes through and the others won't notice until it's too late."

"Well then," Jim said, experimentally holding out one of the orbs, "let's give them a nice warm welcome, shall we mates?"

We all grabbed one devilishly, placing ourselves in front of the glimmer in the air.

"Fire!" the Aussie whispered loudly (magician Australian!). We all chucked the things through the portal and waited. No one came out. Cautiously, I stuck my hand through, waiting to see if I got diced up. Not my brightest idea, but what else could I do?

"I think we're clear," I murmured, pulling my hand back and examining it. "Let's just double-check."

We all filed out, seeing a few (definitely winged) people sprawled out on the ground, out cold. I leaned over one and checked his pulse, she was still alive. Axel was eyeing the armor on the ground and looked up at Zane and Aster. "Give you guys any ideas?" he asked. They followed his gaze and grinned evilly.

"Cosplay again Axel?" Aster teased, taking off the armor of one guard and leaving him in his pants and shirt. I blinked, what are they talking about?

"What are you guys talkin' about?" Jesse asked for me, just as confused. The trio eyed me and I felt nervous, like they were going to bring up something else about Supreme-King-Me. I was right.

"We dressed up like soldiers to get into Haou's castle," Zane commented off-handedly when it didn't seem like anyone else was going to say anything.

"Oh," Jesse replied awkwardly, "so what do you plan on doing now?"

"'Escorting' you 'captured' rebels around the tents so we can poke around some more," Axel answered, pulling on a helmet.

"It's a good idea, but it won't work," Chris sighed, heading back towards the portal, which wasn't even visible in the first feeble rays of dawn.

"Why not Chris?" I asked, moving my wingless shoulders happily. I was in no hurry to go back into the battle zone.

"They don't have wings and your wings are kind of... specific?" he finished unsurely. The others slumped in defeat, feeling foolish.

"Right, I knew that..."

"C'mon," I called, waving my hands and picking up one of the guards by the shirt collar. "Let's see if we can't make straight-jackets out of these shirts and tie them away, huh guys?"

* * *

**6: 57 am**

Allian ducked low, barely avoiding death from the countless enemies she was facing in the brawl. She punched her assailant in the gut when it came close to her—that would teach it to not wear armor—and followed up with a kick to its wings. It tumbled towards the ground and pancaked as she pulled the kick around in a complete circle, aiming low for her next victim. He went down quickly, as most do when facing a dirty fighter. But that was one thing you learned quickly in this life.

Dirty fighters live.

Another body replaced the one before, and when that one was gone, yet another would take its place. Niemona was doing all she could and was probably the only reason that they had not suffered the finishing blows yet. She could still see her rebels fighting their way towards the camp and she desperately hoped that her scouts had found the portal.

"Allian!" She turned, paring a blow with her sword and shattering the metal of her opponent to get to whoever was calling her. "Allian!"

She knew that voice, it was Darkal. "Where are you?!" she called, slashing her way through the impossible crowd.

"At the center of the circle! I'm fighting the leader! _Allian, the Overlord is coming! Get everyone the hell out of here!_" his voice came. Her body tingled with surprise, Darkal actually sounded fearful. But not for his life, for all of theirs.

She flew higher and indeed found that the reason for a huge group of soldiers in the same place at once was because they had formed a ring around Darkal and their leader to trap him in. Her breath left her. If he defeated the leader, he'd be killed by all of these soldiers. If he lost, then it was over for him. She gathered her breath, regaining her composure before diving in there. Darkal could yell at her later, he was in danger and she was going to protect him at all costs.

"Hey!" she called, tackling into the man that Darkal was just barely avoiding. He looked up just before they collided, shocked. She winced at the impact of bones-to-metal, felt some things crack, but ignored it. Darkal was in danger. Her closest friend. She would not let him die.

"Allian get out of here!" Darkal shouted, coming behind her to fend off the blows coming from the viewers. "The just want me and him to fight, you stay out of this! The Rebellion needs you!"

"And I need you Darkal!" she shouted back. "You point out my flaws, you piss me off, you say wiz-mystical things that no one understands until later, and you're my partner! I don't leave my friends on their own!"

"Wiz-what?" he hollered back. "You're making no sense!"

"I don't care!" she screamed, clawing her nails into the leader's eyes. He screamed something horrible, but that didn't matter now. She had an opening and she was going to take it!

Allian pushed herself off of him as he had his hands over his eyes, his sword dropped and forgotten. She reached onto her back and pulled out an arrow, and dove again. Darkal grunted as he was hit behind her, and she flinched. But she had to finish this.

_Take out the leading head and leave the body helpless and confused._

* * *

**(Allian POV)**

**7:00 am**

I dodged as he swiped at me blindly with his talons and drove the arrow as hard as I could into his eye socket. He thrashed and screamed, blood flowing from places I didn't understand, and we fell. I just kept jabbing the arrow over and over again, but this bastard just wouldn't die! The ground was coming closer, but we hadn't been that high up anyway. He would survive the crash with his armor.

Somehow his talons found my face and he racked deep wounds across me. I bit back my scream, showing him what a real leader was like. Strong and unafraid to make her own sacrifices for the good of her people. I was about to flip over so that I was the one under him, facing the ground to jam the arrow right through his thick skull when Darkal caught up. He shoved me away from my position and pushed me to the side, forcing one of my wings open with his foot so I spiraled out of control upwards.

I saw him do exactly what I was going to do, wrap his wings around his body and brace himself for what would be the fatal crunch I had been about to take for him. Why had he jumped in like that? Why?! I didn't ask him to give up his life for me!! He was supposed to live and continue the Rebellion! He would have been a much better leader than me! Dazed and dizzy I righted myself, tears streaming down my cheeks for the first time since...

NO! I will not think of that time. It is in the past, and I promised myself to not be weak. I forced myself to watch as they fell, hoping against hope that he would survive. All time seemed to stop, every person holding their breath. The noise was horrible, as if every single bone in his body had snapped from the impact and the metal on top of him, but it did its job. The arrow was sticking out through the metal helmet. His hand was white he was holding onto that weapon so hard, and when the body over him disappeared, his hand went limp and a soft orange glow started to surround him.

"DARKAL!!" I hollered, taking out whatever weapons I still had with me. My sword was in its sheath. I took it out blindly, swinging it in every direction until they all had either run or perished in my sorrow. I pulled myself together and landed gently next to his broken body to prevent any further pain. My first question.

"Does it hurt?"

"N-no," he answered, his voice barely a whisper. His eyes were distant, but still held that quiet intensity that he always had boiling inside him. I took a shaky breath, wiping away tears from my cheek and blood from his lips. Second question.

"Why?"

"Rebel needs you..." he managed between a few weak coughs, "... and I care... about you... too much... to let you... die for me."

I froze. Third question. "You care?"

"Of course... more than... best friend... family."

I got teary up again. Fallen angels hardly ever admit their friends, let alone think of them as family. Last question. "Do you want to go now?"

What was left of his gaze looked at me, hard. "Not by you..."

"Thank Zeus," I breathed. I looked down at my hands, remembering what I had learned with him by my side. "Darkal... please don't... I wasn't lying when I said I needed you. You proved to me that someone can love without it going bad. I don't care if I'm like your family and you wanted to save me because of it!! Just please don't go..."

"New beginning..." he reminded me softly. I forced myself to look at him and received a shook. He was crying too?

"First jokes and now tears?" I chocked out, trying to laugh but failing miserably. His hand twitched near mine, so I took it like he probably wanted. I wouldn't let him die alone.

"I... trust you..." he told me as firmly as he could. "You... won't fail... you'll soar..."

His eyes seemed to be losing something quickly, and I bit my lower lip to prevent a sob. "... my guardian angel..." he smiled finally, and I cracked. He hardly ever smiled, and to see him smile in the face of death...

"NO!!" I hollered, holding onto him and pouring my everything into him, needing him to stay with me. He was my protector, my guardian. He was with me at every turn, no matter where it led us, and he always knew what to say, even when it didn't make sense. I couldn't let him die! He was Darkal, he had pulled me right out of the castle after I betrayed them—he couldn't die!

"Heal!" I hissed through clenched teeth, releasing all of the pain and anger and sorrow I had held throughout my long life in this single desperate moment. Everything washed out of me, my happiness, my hatred, my spite, my laughter; it all came out in this single wave of solid emotions in the frantic attempt to heal.

His eyes closed forever.

* * *

**(With the Jaden, Alexis, and Melody)**

**7:25 am**

Jaden walked stealthily on the thin beams, keeping his head down and trying to ignore the pain in his back that had yet to subside from emerging back into this world. He wasn't sure why it was still hurting, but Haou seemed to insist that it was because they kept changing worlds so quickly. He ignored his other half and took off when he was far enough away, searching up high for Allian and Darkal. He had received a little 'welcome' message from Nick. They needed to know he was coming right now. Alexis was running far below him with Melody, although he had seemed a bit reluctant at first to let both his cousin and his love run through an enemy camp.

Alexis was already in contact with him, sending reassurance that she was fine every few seconds. He did the same, knocking everyone who came close to him away with anything he could. First the orbs, but he ran out soon. Then he flew with the bow that Darkal had strung across his back and fired arrows at random, but he had run out of those too in his search. His left wing was bleeding pretty badly from a knife wound, but he ignored it. He could patch it up later.

Every beat that he did from his wings was painful, but so was the prospect of Nick catching them from behind before they finished the battle with his troops here. The sun was rising quickly now, forcing them to lose the cover of darkness that their dragon had had. He cast out a quick message to her, searching for her strange mind, and felt nothing for the longest time. Sure, he usually didn't feel anything, but she usually would hear his calls and respond in some way. Surely she wasn't?

No, Melody and Alexis would have spotted her on the ground.

_Jaden!_

Speak of the Angel—Lex, what's wrong?

_We found them! It's Darkal... I think he's..._

She didn't have to say anything else. He cast out his senses and found Alexis' body quickly, flying as fast as he ever had towards it. No, Darkal couldn't. He was invincible. He was always the one that came out unscratched. He couldn't be...

He and Allian were the only two he couldn't ever imagine dying!

He spotted Niemona crouched on the ground and spraying fire up at anyone who was foolish enough to try and come near her. She paused to let him pass and then continued with her little happy rampage. Jaden landed sloppily, stumbling over to Alexis and Melody. They both captured him in their arms immediately, being careful with his injured wing. "Where's Allian?" he soberly asked, his eyes trying to glaze over the tears in theirs.

"She's with him," Melody whispered, breaking the hug to point. He shifted slightly until he spotted Allian on her knees with her hands over Darkal's right one, crying. "He won't last for much longer. A mind can only stay so long in a broken body..."

The trio held back respectfully, each one with tears streaming down their faces. Allian lowered her head onto his chest and sobbed hard as the orange glow intensified around their fallen friend, then she took her hands and clung onto his hand again as tightly as she could. Darkal's lips moved, saying something, and then he smiled and they knew it was over.

They closed their eyes tightly just as he did, not wanting to see his body leave the ground in orange dust. He didn't deserve this!

Allian screamed loudly when he must have left, and that only made them close their eyes tighter. Hearing their fearless leader in pain was almost as bad as losing the other. This just wasn't right. Allian and Darkal were a packaged pair; they weren't supposed to be separated. Separating their leaders was like trying to cut down an ancient tree with a plastic knife. It just couldn't happen...

It couldn't!

Jaden didn't know when he fell to his knees, but he did remember Alexis shaking him and feeling the mud below him move as someone approached him. He looked up, and Allian was standing where Darkal had been, her face blank. In her hands was his sword and duel-disk, the only things he had left behind. She bowed her head and placed them in her backpack, swearing to give him a ceremony when they were free.

The angel took a deep breath and seemed to lock away all of her sorrow, turning her now pale face to them, seeming to be hard as stone. Jaden stood up and bowed his head, trying to stop his own tears from running their course.

They took off and Jaden followed, dropping Melody off on Niemona's back and carrying Alexis with him. Melody had commented that she didn't want to see what Nick was like when he wasn't at least pretending to be decent. He couldn't blame her. When he caught up to Allian she was squinting over the horizon, trying to spot any signs of Nick and his approaching, and monumental for this world, army.

When Allian finally spotted then in her binoculars the others had already caught up to her after Chris had stumbled on the enemies' winged beast tent. He had liberated them from carrying all of the weapons and fed/watered them, and they were on their way. Now they were flying around above them, keeping anyone that tried to get close (and wasn't a rebel of course) away.

Jaden kept glancing between the dots on the horizon that was Nick's army and the brawl behind him, trying to judge if they could pull out a victory before being attacked.

"We marked the tent with a smiley face," Chris was saying, "opening on the top of it. You can blame Syrus for that." Said bluenette heard his name and looked down curiously before turning away, getting a bit farther away from us to respect whatever we had to say.

Allian nodded, walking out of earshot so she could get a better look at the approaching army.

* * *

**(Jaden POV)**

I felt anxiety overflowing through me with every message Nick was sending to me, knowing what Allian didn't want to say. We didn't have enough time, enough people to fight. We would still be fighting when Nick arrived, and we couldn't just dash for the portal because the guard would flay us when what was left of us tried to get through. And Niemona couldn't breathe fire in case it spread to the portal tent and didn't let anyone get through because of smoke and heat.

Darkal's sacrifice to save Allian was going to be in vain if something didn't happen for the better.

I had to think of something. I started pacing anxiously around the cliff edge, Alexis sitting down and watching me worriedly. After about ten minutes of plan-making with Haou we could only come up with two things.

Either I could try and control my power enough to KO all of the soldiers left and risk all of my friend's lives in the process, something that I definitely did not want to do again, seeing as I was still weak as if was from healing Jesse. I was about 90 percent sure that if I tried it again I would lose this time.

My other option?

I glanced down at Alexis, who was staring out at Nick's army just as hard as I was.

I would lose her.

I couldn't take her with me if I went to face Nick, no matter how much it would kill me to have to leave her behind. If I went anywhere near that monster with my precious one...

_Lillian slumped in my arms and I kneeled on the ground in surprise. Her eyes were closed and I felt her last breath leave her before the dust covered her, and then she was gone..._

I shook my head, dislodging that image. No, Alexis was stronger than Lillian had been. She wouldn't drop her guard around Nick, she wouldn't let anything like that happen, and I sure as hell wouldn't either. I would rather die myself than let that happen to her. But Allian...

I remembered that scream well.

If Darkal and Allian were just family to each other and it had hurt her that much to lose him, what would happen to Alexis if I left to go and delay Nick and died? Would she do what I had come close to doing in the Dark World before Haou had interfered and (although I hated to admit it) saved my life?

_I waited until Jim had fallen asleep again, feeling so much pain that I was completely numb. I had been mulling over the Supreme King's words and remembered the feeling of nothingness that he had gifted me with very well. I craved for it again, it burned against my being, knowing that it was just right there for me to reach out and touch again, to give in and never feel the pain that she had brought me again._

_But I knew what that power was, I recognized it as my other half and my power flowing over the gates I had used to lock them in. I had just lost my Angel, I was sure of it. And I hadn't even had a chance to know that I loved her until it was too late. What was the point?_

_Surely it would just be better to end my world before I end all the worlds, right?_

_**Wrong. Who says that giving into me would be the end? We could rebuild this world together, make it so that no one ever dares to challenge another in a life-or-death duel, make is so we no longer felt pain...**_

_It was tempting, very tempting. But I stood up and walked away, choosing the lesser hell. Or was it? Was taking your own life worse than taking another's life? I didn't know anymore. I let my feet move, trying to tune out the persuasive side of me that was calling out louder than it ever had. It had been relatively silent in Duel Academy, and now I know why. It was because I was near her and drawn to her even then. She lessened my darkness and then drove it right up again..._

_**See what love brings you? Pain. They are connected and that is all love can ever bring in the end. It is better if you just leave it behind. It will be the end of all things if it continues to run its course through you.**_

_I kept moving blindly through the world, all monsters that I came across leaving me alone or even bowing, already calling me Haou. I ignored all of them, unable to respond anyway due to the pain I harbored in my heart. Not only had I lost the one I loved, I had lost all of my close friends as well in one duel. Jesse was already dead. They had come here for nothing and they had lost their lives because of me. They did in vain. There is nothing I can do to save them now..._

_**No, but you can avenge them. You can take out every person who stands in your way. You can create the Super Fusion card to make their deaths worth something. There is still so much that you can do, if you do it with me. We can make a difference.**_

_My feet stopped from my long walk, on the edge of the mountain that we had hidden with Freed. What a fitting place to die. He was the second one to give up his life for me here. The first was Jesse... Tears slipped down my cheeks. This was really the end. I took a step, replaying ever word that I had ever spoken to them. Syrus. Alexis. Hassleberry. Chazz. Atticus. Jesse. Freed._

_Then the list continued on._

_Lillian. Chris. Darkal. Allian. Gravelon. Alice. Melody. My mother. My aunt and uncle. Aster. Jim. Axel. Zane. Blair. Marcel. Atrus. Adria. Liz._

_They didn't deserve the pain that I was going to bring them, and I didn't even deserve to live. Why fight something that should have been done a long time ago? It's not like I'm going to have a long fulfilling life ahead of me anyway. I stopped at the ledge, staring longingly at the ground very far below. I imagined the wind blowing through my hair easily, having dove from tall heights into the water before with my human friends back home. But this would be different. I wouldn't feel anything. It would just... end._

_Maybe its better this way..._

_**You know it's not. The answer is to fix the world, to gain the power to do this. You can make yourself worth their sacrifice. You can prevent them future sorrow. Perhaps even if we grow powerful enough, we can discover how to bring them back.**_

_That's right, my power is almost limitless. If I gave into it I could find a way... and I could be rid of all of this pain as well. What have I got to lose? Nothing. If Jim and Axel ever find me, they wouldn't recognize me, they wouldn't fight me. They can just go home. I could just stay here and forget about all of the pain, about love. It isn't worth it._

_**Now you see. Are you ready to take revenge on this world for our friends? Do you want them back?**_

_I thought it over slowly and I realized just how much I watned to see their faces again, and to get revenge on those who had kill them._

_I do._

_**Then give into me...**_

Would Alexis fall into the same trance as I had? Only who would save her? She had nothing inside her head other than her own mind, and I would be gone. But then would she end up in the same place as I did? After all, I had taken more than enough lives to earn myself a special place 'downstairs'. If that was the case I hope that she couldn't follow me, I would rather her be where she belongs for living such a kind life instead of following me down.

But was I really that bad? I tried to live a good life and I had also saved countless lives as well.

**_I'm voting for hell,_** Haou reminded me absently and I scowled at him mentally.

_I know, I know._

I turned, looking at Allian, who was casting glances at the heavens, her eyes sad. She muttered something and bowed her head, allowing no tears to escape past her lashes. Saddened and discouraged by the sight I turned to my friends soaring above us and I softened again.

_What would _they_ do if I was gone?_

Then my eyes found Mels, and I felt something twist in my heart. _What would she do if it was Nick's hands that stole my life? What could she do?_

_**You're overlooking one important fact**_, Haou inserted suddenly._** Your love for them blinds you again.**_

_What is it _now_ Haou_? I sighed.

_**You forget the Queens orders. If we were to die, then they could go unfulfilled.**_

I froze; this was actually true for once! I could save her and the world at the same time by facing Nick, and I could actually make it out alive. Nick doesn't want me dead—well he wants me dead but he needs me to end the war. So maybe if I go out there and ruff him up a bit, give the Rebellion enough time to finish things, I can then offer myself as a prisoner.

No, that wouldn't work, then I'd still be bound by the Queen's orders. So I either die or risk killing all of my friends?

I sat down abruptly, pulling Alexis down too. She tumbled into my lap, making me aware of her again, of her warmth. "Jaden what is it?" she asked, staring unperturbed into my eyes. "We'll make it out in time."

But she refused to look behind us to see how wrong she was.

"I never told you the story about painting Darkal's wings pink," I was saying suddenly, catching myself even more surprised than her. She blinked, pushing back a lock of her dirty blonde hair to try and figure out what I was getting at. She gave up.

"Ok Jaden, why are you telling me this _now_?" she breathed, emphasizing 'now'.

_Because I may never get a chance to tell you later._

She glanced up, startled by my sent thought. "What do you mean Jaden? You said it yourself; we'll be safe by noon!"

_I said and I quote, "_**You'll**_ be out of here and somewhere safe."_

But I didn't send that thought to her, I just held her closer to me like it would be the last time I ever was close to her. "What are you thinking Jaden?" she demanded of me. I shook my head helplessly.

"I don't know. For some reason, I just feel like I have to tell you something," I tried to explain. "I feel like there's just still so much that's been left unsaid."

"You'll have plenty of time to tell me when we get out of here," she cut across, looking fierce. I sighed and pinched my nose.

"I'm not so sure I will," I muttered into her hair, closing my eyes. She twisted around and looked me straight in the eyes, trying to convince me of her thoughts.

"You will. Jaden, I know things may not look good right now, but this is the Rebellion. They've survived for a long time. They can make it out of this situation before Nick arrives. We have Niemona on our side to take out more and more of them. All of us are going to make it out alive this time. Just look at Allian, she just lost Darkal and yet she is still willing to lead us. She wouldn't let anything happen to her Rebellion Jaden; that much is obvious. She won't let Darkal die in vain."

"I know Alexis," I said. She started playing with my ring finger again and leaned up to kiss me gently on the lips. I returned the pressure lightly, my body on high alert still. I would not let Alexis die the same way Lillian had. She drew away when she sensed my discomfort and just showed me her hand.

_But I wouldn't either._

"Besides Jaden, I won't let you cope out on marriage. You never get cold feet," she teased, attempting to calm me down. Admittedly it did. Whenever I thought about the future and knew that it would only hold Alexis with me everywhere I went...

I smiled, squeezing her shoulders. "Yeah, I don't get cold feet."

"Good," she said, punching me lightly on the shoulder. We stayed silent after that, standing up to watch over the progression of the two armies surrounding us. I bit my lip as Nick drew closer and closer and we stayed in the same spot. We weren't going to make it if I didn't do something. But what?

* * *

**(3rd person POV)**

**8:45 am**

He stood there on the edge of the cliff with his love in his arms, staring not at his friends, but at his enemies. Suddenly, he made up his mind.

"Allian," he called towards the angel, not taking his brown eyes off the advancing army. Said angel turned to face him, reading his intentions quicker than humanly possible.

"Jaden, no."

"Take Alexis out of here," he said, ignoring her. "I have to slow them down; we'll never make it otherwise. I'm the only one who has a chance." He spared a glance at the dwindling numbers behind them. "I have to give you all time to break through them."

"I won't let you do this alone!" Allian demanded, addressing him fiercely. "I'm going with you! No one should have to face this!"

"No Allian, the Rebellion needs you," Jaden calmly overrode her. "You're the only angel here; you know that I'm doing the right thing."

Allian visibly hardened at those words, recalling them to be Darkal's. Then her eye blazed with anger.

"We both know that I can't tell!" Allian shot back. "Would I have betrayed the Rebellion all those years ago if I could tell the difference between right and wrong?! No!"

Alexis stared. She then shook it off and held onto Jaden's arm fiercely. "I'm going with you!"

"No Alexis." He lowered his gaze to meet her hazel eyes. Ever so gently, he removed her grip and stroked her cheek tenderly. "I did promise you," he smiled sadly, his eye apologizing for all of the things they could never have together.

"Jaden no! We can still get out of here! We can still run away!" Alexis shouted, drawing the attention of those around them. Chris shot around, landing with power and grabbing Jaden by the shirt collar.

"Damn it Jaden! Don't do this!" he snarled, his eyes flashing red. "You don't have to do this! We've already lost Darkal, we don't want to lose you too!"

"Yes I do," he answered in that same steady tone. "Nick has too many soldiers, he'll overtake us easily. He wants me. He'll have to stop if I come to him... or I'll stop him myself."

Alexis pushed Chris away from her love and clung onto him as if her life depended on it. The tears came easily, flooding them both in an ocean of sorrow. Jaden smoothed her hair in calming motions and leaned down to her ears to whisper one of the last things that she would hear him say. "I love you Alexis. Never forget that."

"DON'T SAY THAT LIKE WE'LL NEVER SEE EACH OTHER AGAIN!! JADEN, PLEASE!"

"Take good care of her," Jaden said, ignoring his angel's pleas. He pushed her into the fairy's arms as if she weighed nothing; which was true to him. There was no physical weight that Alexis could impose on him, only that of his emotions, and right now, he was more broken than he had ever been. "I have to make things right."

"This is suicide!" Allian shouted at him boldly. "How is your death going to make things right Jaden?! You're only going to make things worse if you do this!"

He looked that angel right in the eye, holding the steady gaze while Alexis struggled in Chris's tight grasp. "Allian Pronscea, you know that this is the right thing to do. I know it, I can feel it."

"There's a difference between what's right and insanity!" she retorted. Jaden smiled softly at her and bowed his head respectfully.

"You said to me once Allian," he said slowly, "that you would rather die than have the Rebellion die. You said that so long as there are still people fighting, that there is still enough love that the Rebellion will live on undoubtedly." His brown eyes held the three gazes intensely. "I need you three to be those people. Alexis, I need you to still share your love. Please, I need to do this. I can stop Nick. I can make things right again. Please."

The three friends said nothing, Alexis was too overcome with her struggles against her restraint and with her heart. "I love you Jaden!" she shouted one last time, reaching out for him desperately. His eyes softened and he looked close to tears. "Please take me with you!"

"I love you too, wait for me, I'll be back. I promise," Jaden swore gently. "I have you to come back to. I won't die, Alexis. Nick needs me to end this war. I'll be back."

A great sob shook her entire body as Jaden gently stepped forward and kissed her one last time. She responded immediately, but it was broken too soon, they were broken too soon. And as he spread his wings and escaped towards death, she stretched out her hand again, tears trying to cloud her last vision of the one she loved, and forced her mind to memorize his beauty for what she feared would be the last time.

"You better come back Jaden!" Allian shouted suddenly. "I'll make sure you're grounded for the rest of your life if you don't!!"

Chris looked at her with understanding and quietly told her, "Allian, it's not your fault that this is happening."

She looked back at him crossly. "Actually, Chris, it is. That's why I won't fall anymore,"—she looked at the sky sadly—"not for anyone... not even if I love him." And she took off to lead the other rebels and tell the other's about Jaden's decision. Chris sighed heavily and lifted off with the limp Alexis in his arms, her eyes still following Jaden's fading wings, and her arm still outstretched towards the horizon.

* * *

**(JADEN POV)**

"Jaden!"

Mel's scream when she heard of my plight almost made me turn around again. Almost. Saying good-bye to Alexis had hurt so badly that I found myself searching for a reason to turn around and make a last-ditch effort to flee from this advancing army of about ten-thousand. But I stayed strong for the sake of all of them, my family, my friends, and my love.

Although I had told her that Nick wouldn't kill me, I knew it was most likely the opposite. I could sense his blinding rage coming after me in hot waves and I saw the bloodlust in his eyes even from so far away. His anger was blinding him, just like his darkness had all of those years ago.

I had two promised to keep to both females in my life: Mels and Alexis.

I had promised Mels that I would try and save Nick before I would try to kill him.

I had promised Alexis that I would be the first to die.

Looks like I'm getting a chance to fulfill them both at once now.

Far too soon my feet touched the ground and my eyes locked with evil. Far too soon he came out to greet me. "So you decided to come out and play after all, huh Guardian?" one of his men jeered as Nick emerged from his army. He stood a good distance away from me, sizing me up.

I said nothing, only glared at the shell of my cousin in front of me. He smirked and drew his sword, holding it lazily in front of him and pointed at me. "I get it Guardian, no words, only action."

I stared at the sword and then glanced around him at his army. They wouldn't leave without Nick in lead; they'd stay and watch our fight. Surprised, I felt my old fire grow inside my chest, the confidence in my abilities. I could stall this army by drawing out my fight with Nick! The flames blazed in my eyes as I drew my sword steadily, no shaking entering my muscles at all. I think my mind had already accepted the death that was most likely going to befall me.

_Jaden!_

It was Alexis, and I cringed, all the feelings I had for her only weakening me, making me want to turn around and go back, and making me want to live more and more.

Alexis, please don't.

She was hurt that I had just rejected her, but she didn't leave. I felt her presence there, watching, always watching me. My Guardian Angel. I tore myself away from her just as Nick launched himself at me. Our blades met in a shower of sparks and he twirled his sword around my guard, nearly slashing open my shoulder. I dodged, leaping to the side and slashing across as I did.

He blocked it again and came after me with some strange strategies obviously learned in the castle. They were effective though, I stumbled away from him with a nasty cut across my left arm. Angry that he had landed a blow so soon I started pouring everything I had ever learned into my offensive, tricking myself into believing that if any of these blows hit they wouldn't kill him.

He finally sprang into the air, gaining the higher ground and leaving me at a disadvantage. I parried his blows with some difficultly, trying to find an opening for myself to jump into higher ground. It didn't look like it was going to happen anytime soon and the jeers from the men behind me certainly weren't doing anything for my concentration.

Suddenly inspiration struck and I waited, sword raised, for the next offensive. Nick didn't seem to want to disappoint me because that came the next second. I rolled to the ground under the swings and sprang to my feet behind him, using my momentum as a launch pad to get high fast. I felt the buffets of air pressure close to me and knew he was right behind. I pulled out a backwards loop and watched as he did the same in an opposite direction. I poised my weapon out in front of me, waiting for the jolt that came when ramming someone mid-air.

We crashed into each other at such high speeds I was sure our swords were going to shatter, but thankfully they didn't. The strength was zapped from my arms at the impact, but I managed to keep a good hold on my weapon. "Hmm..." Nick said from across of me, causing my eyes to travel to his, something I had told myself not to do. "It looks like we're even on sparring... how about we make this more interesting, huh cousin?" His blue eyes faded just like that into the deep—almost black—purple and glowed, sending ripples of pain through my body.

**_Now will you let me take over?_** Haou taunted. I grit my teeth and gave into him; surprising Nick by the lengths I would go to protect my angel. Oh if only he knew the half of it.

I tried not to resist as the first wave of darkness constricted my mind, pulling this half of me down into its domain, but I have to admit that I flailed a little bit at how cold it was to be touched by pure evil.

_This is for Alexis. Everyone will be safe if I can delay him, even if that means giving into darkness again._

My feet were very tentative when I took my first step in darkness of heart, glancing around at the mirrors, looking for the one reflecting into the current world. I found it off to my right and walked over to it, amazed at how much I had actually missed not feeling pain or anger or love or joy. It disgusted some small part of me that I had already allowed Haou's strength—our strength—to take away what made me human. But if that was necessary...

_This is for Alexis._

Her face appeared in one of mirrors, signaling she was still here for me. I stared at it for a few minutes before turning back to the fight I was engaged in, feeling my arms move as if they weren't apart of me and yet were at the same time.

"Now we can have some fun," Nick was saying, blasting Haou with his free hand. Haou knocked it to the side with a flash of gold eyes, diving at Nick and landing a powerful blow on his wings. I felt a dark satisfaction in my moment of triumph before returning to myself—startled. I could have sworn I just saw someone else down here in the darkness.

Unnerved, I glanced away from the mirror and settled for feeling Haou's strikes. "Hello? Alexis, is that you?"

No one answered, of course not. Berating myself for being so silly (but secretly glad that I could at least still feel some emotions) I turned back to the mirror and tried to immerse myself in the fight. Nick was a few feet away again, he and Haou crossing blades with more power and deadly grace than I had ever pulled off before.

_**Because we didn't have any intention of killing him before, but now we do.**_

_Don't kill him Haou; the army will just kill us anyway._ I felt unusually calm, my arms moving like they were a part of me again, but I wasn't the conductor. Nick landed a punch on the side of Haou's face past the swords, and I felt the pain too. What was going on?

**_I don't think either of us want to go down without taking him with us._**

_You're absolutely right Haou._ And for once I meant it. _I did want to take down this cruel man before me, and I was fighting to do that. But Melody..._

_**I understand,**_ Haou said, and I think he actually did for once. **_I can't kill him without you giving your consent, and we need each other's support to win this battle. We need to act as one even if we are not._**

I nodded, knowing he could sense me, and I let down every barrier of defense I had ever raised against this dark power of mine fall. I saw what Haou saw, felt what he felt, and I could give it my all now. Literally. But my power, that was not mine no matter how close Haou and I were to becoming a single person again. I don't think it was ever rightfully mine, but that was not of our concern right now.

**_Focus._**

And I did.

We moved together, reading the other's thoughts perfectly and propelling ourselves through the air with enough strength to fight against the Overlord and his power. Not to win, no. Sadly that was far out of our reach even now, but we could protect those that we loved—and hated.

The next time the steel we held clanged together, we shattered it, settling for rams and hand-to-hand combat. Nick had the upper hand against us and it showed every time we had to close our wings a fall towards earth to save ourselves from a blast of power. We surged upwards, feeling our muscles tighten with anticipation, and managed to lock onto him, landing a blow to his stomach that made him rear back from us quickly to recover.

Something flickered again in the corner of my mind, a presence that shouldn't be there, something that I shouldn't be feeling. Distracted, I pulled my attention away from Haou and back towards the swirling darkness. What was going on?!

**_Jaden._**

I returned to my place beside Haou without any further prompting, trying to ignore whatever it was that kept coming into range. We fought hard now that we had an opening, getting as close as our wings would allow it and kicking at every part of him, blocking his retaliations with our arms the same way he'd block us. Then he struck, his hand glowing with purple energy. We blocked it without thinking and then regretted the contact, biting our lip to prevent a scream as we fell, electricity-like substances paralyzing us temporarily.

Of course, saying that it didn't hurt would definitely be a lie, but when has that stopped us before? So we tried faking out our body, claiming it didn't hurt as if it could respond any sooner.

The wind buffeted us on the way down, Nick swooping right above us, a dagger in his hands, aimed straight down, at our wing we realized. Painfully, we forced our limbs to move, opening the wing he was aiming for and letting it fill with air to swing us off to the side. He zoomed past, skimming our cheek with his knife. We flinched but recovered, grabbing the various weapons Allian had forced us all to load up with.

We took it out and realized it was another knife, which was fine with us. We took off after Nick, who knew that he had no choice but to land if he didn't want to be amputated by us. When he did—land that is—he pointed the small weapon straight up and his eyes flashed dangerously. We knew what was coming before it happened, so we managed to get the hell out of the way before being blown back upwards rather painfully.

The thin beam of dark energy that had shot up from the knife scorched a few feathers, but other than that we were perfectly fine. We landed a short distance away from him, knowing it wouldn't be best to be in the air during a knife fight that could also qualify as a supernatural gun fight if you think about it.

Not that we noticed of course.

We circled each other warily, searching for an opening to attack. We let Nick get in the first move, trying to convince him that he was winning even though we were only stalling, not trying to kill him. He jabbed at our ribs and we jumped back, flipping our weapon through our fingers like we would a monster card and driving it down at his hand. He pulled it away quickly, stepping forward offensively and taking a stab at our heart.

Something clicked and we jumped a reasonable distance behind. "It was you. You were the one that stabbed me in the gate!"

He smirked and we started to circle again, chuckling with a rather good imitation of Haou. "Of course it was me."

He jabbed and we dodged again, needing to get him to talk. "Why? I thought you didn't want me dead."

"I don't," he answered, "I need you alive if I am going to harvest your power."

"But I controlled it then!" we shot at him, openly confused. "I can't do anything for you if I can't control it!"

"But if you had control over it all of this would be no more," Nick simply answered. "You could have easily removed the Queen and I off the face of this planet to restore your so-called peace. So I had to destabilize you again if I had any chance at reviving that evil within you, and it seemed to work out just fine, didn't it Jaden?"

Haou made a rude gesture with our free hand before I could stop him and Nick laughed. "How could you be certain it wouldn't kill us?" I asked, ignoring Haou's attempt to say something nasty.

"I waited until I saw a healing spirit to make my move," Nick answered with a shrug. "She could heal you when I inserted darkness back into your heart and undid the damage you and that blasted Yubel had done."

"You mean what Yubel had made us fix?" we answered coolly, taking a swing at him. He caught the blade with his own and we shoved him away with a harsh push against the metal. He took the push gracefully, still smirking.

"No, what Yubel had ruined about you. Your true nature, the darkness that can destroy all enemies in your path if you had the guts to use it. But you don't, so it's my job to make you use them," he snipped, and we had a feeling our little chat was over. Damn it.

After a little while we both abandoned the knives and took back into the air, Nick blasting at us and trying to catch us in the range of his little mental torture images and us just getting out of the way and occasionally sending something hurtling back whenever we could.

Finally, we got a hit, a nice kick to his stomach and he doubled over, allowing us to give him a sharp uppercut to his chin.

There it was again! I saw it!

I dashed back into the darkness and allowed Haou to do what he wished with a now defending Nick as I searched for whoever it was that was trying to contact me or was coming into range of my mind. I felt Haou land another heavy blow on Nick's chest and saw it instantly, it was lying down on what appeared to be the ground, its eyes closed. Curious, I took a step forward only to meet an invisible wall separating me from the still presence. I pressed one hand against the barrier, surprised.

Haou and Nick circled each other again, and Nick landed a blow with one of his wings on our chest, and the barrier I was still touching blasted me away, back into the center of my heart. I landed flat on my butt, startled. I felt Haou narrow our eyes, but he didn't falter in his position, striking back with just as much venom. I dashed over to the wall again and slowed, reaching out with my hand so I wouldn't make myself a pancake in my own darkness.

Keeping my left hand out firmly in front of me, I slowly ventured forward as Haou tackled Nick rather unorthodoxly, sending all of us tumbling down towards earth in a giant spiraling circle. Ignoring the unpleasant feeling of vertigo, I picked up my pace, surprised when the slumbering spirit came into view without a touch of resistance. Curious, I bent down and sat on my heels, turning the figure from his sleep on his stomach to his back. Just as I saw his face, Nick tore away from Haou with a painful blast of dark energy, which also sent me spiraling back into my own darkness, because I had just realized where I was.

Nick's darkness. And I had just seen the good side of Nick, trapped and unaware. For a few seconds I just sat at stared at the mirrors, dazed. Nick really was like me after all.

But was he already too far gone to save? I had been conscious—well awake anyway—when I had fallen, and he was obviously out for the count. Plus he had been in here for a decade which was far longer than what I had endured.

I joined Haou in battle again, projecting my questions at him. _Can anyone be revived from Darkness after that long? How can we try to wake him up?_

We detached ourselves from Nick the same time he did to us, barely managing to avoid a head-on collision with the ground.

_**No, no one can be truly awakened after that long. If you want to try, we'd have to use our power to connect us to him instead of just landing blows and connecting the Yuki strength for brief seconds.**_

We refocused on the battle, frowning. Our defenses were still incredibly weak from our last attempt at using the power, so there was only a tiny chance that we wouldn't lose it to the blinding darkness, even if Haou was apart of it. We bent over as we regained ground and took an extendable spear Allian had stuffed up my pant legs hastily. Fingering the weapon and completely unsure how to use it in the air, I let Haou take over again, figuring his connection and like of destroying things would be fuel for using the thing.

After five minutes Nick had disintegrated the spear. Oh well.

But something weird had come into his eyes when he saw us draw that weapon, like he was flashing back or something. But it had hardly lasted half a second before he was trying to murder us again (or at least that's what it looked like).

Falling back on our last option other than the power, we activated our duel disk and drew five cards. Nick smirked and did likewise, still coming at us. Our eyes narrowed. He wanted an actual battle against the Supreme King? We'd give it to him.

We glanced down at the cards so charged with darkness as we were. I flinched slightly at the hand, but Haou used it as if it were a second skin. "I activate Dark Fusion," we said, playing the spell card as we dodged around Nick. "With this I'll fuse Elemental Hero Burstinatrix and Elemental Hero Avian to summon Inferno Wing in attack mode! (ATK: 2100)" The fusion gate opened up, flooding in darkness as our trademark monster flew out, ready to rip Nick's to shreds. He smirked.

"I'll summon Dark Destroyer Knight in attack mode!" Nick called out, rushing us again as his monster appeared at his side. We blinked, we'd never before heard of that card. It was covered in a rough black armor that resembled stone and carried what we assumed was a lance at its side. (Atk: 1700, Def: 0) "Attack!"

"It's weaker than my monster," we told him shortly as Inferno Wing leapt into action, easily destroying the knight. "Where is that card from? You can not get a deck here, you weren't born here."

Nick smirked and declared, "I activate the special ability of Dark Destroyer Knight! When he is sent to the grave, I take no battle damage and you lose 500 attack points." We didn't even wince as 500 points of our life were taken away, something Haou had always easily withstood. "And your monster is destroyed!"

"Not quite," we told him sternly as he tried to capture us in another one of his psychic-ish waves. We waved it aside with a golden glow of the eyes and continued our narration through both of our battles. "I used Dark Fusion, which prevents the monster summoned by it from being destroyed by anything other than battle the first turn it is summoned."

Nick scowled, moving closer and taking another punch at us. We dodged and he placed a face-down violently.

We drew our card as we dropped back to earth to avoid a blow. "I will summon Neospacion Air Hummingbird in attack mode! (Atk: 800)" Our faithful alien friend appeared casually next to us, blocking an attack from Nick for us. We nodded to him to show our thanks. "And his special ability activates! We gain 500 life-points for every card in your hand, so we gain 2000!"

Jaden: 5500

Nick: 4000

"Now Inferno Wing, direct attack!"

"I activate the continuous trap card Shadow Web!" Nick interrupted, stopping himself from getting burned by our monster. "Once every turn I can remove one Dark attribute monster from play from my hand, deck, or grave to negate an attack. So I'll remove my Shadowling from play in my hand."

"Now the ability of Shadowling activates," Nick said lowly, taking the card out of his pocket and showing it to me as if taunting me. "When she is removed from play I can summon one dark token onto my field in my next turn in defense mode and draw one card."

"I attack with Air Hummingbird," I continued, unfazed. Nick threw up his arms in defense when my monster pounded into him before returning to my side of the field. He back up respectively to draw his next card.

Jaden: 5500

Nick: 3200

The small dark token appeared on his field, both power levels reading zero. Nick smirked. "I'll summon Shadow Child in attack mode and then tribute both he and Dark token to summon"—the little boy with red eyes and black demon-y skin disappeared as quickly as he had appeared—"King's Advisor in attack mode! (Atk: 0, Def: 2500)"

We blinked, waiting for an explanation of a level 8 monster with zero attack points. It came quickly, "When King's Advisor is successfully summoned, I can summon King of Darkness to the field in attack mode from my deck, hand, graveyard, or even from out-of-play!" We watched, impressed, as a huge figure rose into existence, looking very much like we had in the Dark World—black armor, spikes, creepy glowing eyes—with the exception of the red cape. This cape was deep royal purple; at its attack points were formidable: 4300.

But these cards did not exist in the human world, where did he receive them?

"He can not be destroyed by spell cards, and King's Advisor negates traps targeting King of Darkness. But he can also not attack being summoned this way the first turn, but that doesn't matter!" We watched King's Advisor's attack points soar up to 3000. "King's Advisor's attack points increase by 1000 for every special effect that any monster other than himself has on the field. That brings him up to 3000 with plenty to destroy your Inferno Wing! Go King's Advisor! Warring Decision!" Once again, we refused to show any signs of pain to the Overlord as he attacked us.

Jaden: 4600

Nick: 3200

"My move, draw!" we glanced at the card and pointed at King's Advisor. "Since Inferno Wing is no longer on the field, your monster loses 1000 attack points!"

King's Advisor: Atk: 2000

Nick's Cards: 3

Jaden/Haou's cards: 4

"I'll set two face-downs," we grunted, leaving us without much of a hand or any defense. Ra, I had forgotten how good Nick was at doing that...

"I then play Pot of Greed, which lets me draw two cards (3). Next I summon Elemental Hero Wild Heart to the field in attack mode (Atk: 1500, Defense: 1600)! Next I'll activate the field spell Skyscraper, which raises his points by 1000 as long as he's fighting a monster above his attack points (Atk: 2500). And since he has an ability too, your attack points increase, so I'll activate Heated heart to raise Wild Heart's attack to match yours! Go! Destroy King's Advisor!"

"Both of our monsters will be destroyed," Nick glowered as our monster raced towards him, understanding that Wild Heart isn't affected by trap cards, like Shadow Web. Our monster sliced through his, but his fought back just as hard. They both exploded into dust, returning to the graveyard.

"Trap activate! Death and Rebirth! I can activate this trap when my monster is destroyed on my battle phase turn! It allows me to destroy one monster on your side of the field, and I choose King of Darkness!" Nick's monster exploded, sending wind scattering everywhere.

"When King of Darkness is destroyed, his heir can appear on the field from my deck! Dark Prince in attack mode (Atk: 2000, Def: 1300)!"

"Useless effort, Death and Rebirth then allows me to summon one monster that was destroyed, so I shall choose my Wild Heart, but he has to attack. But because of Sky-Scraper, his attack points rise once again (2500)! Go!"

Our monster took out the Prince easily, swinging his giant sword and slicing it right in half. Nick winced, recognizing our strength as duelists.

"Really Guardian? Is this all you can do?" he taunted.

We stared him down coolly, refusing to speak at all. He made a satisfied 'hmm' and drew his next card, quickly activating yet another unheard of card. "I shall activate the spell known as Next in Line. I can only activate this spell when both the King of Darkness and the Prince are in the graveyard. I remove them both from play in order to summon, the First and Last Overlord!"

Dark Prince and his daddy appeared on the field, transparent, and then vanished, bowing. A new figure appeared in their place, chain mail decorating his torso and a twisted black crown atop of his head. Unlike his father and brother, he had fierce skeletal wings jutting out from his back and his eyes were pure black.

(Atk: 5000, Def: 3700)

"No way," I breathed and Haou cursed at me. "5000 attack points?"

"Way," Nick laughed, holding his thumb our in front of him. He looked at me and smirked, turning his thumb down. "Attack."

_Oh crap._

Jaden: 1100

Nick: 2800

We flinched as the merciless attack nailed our life-points and we tumbled dangerously towards the ground, flaring out our wings more to catch ourselves.

"Losing altitude so soon Jaden?" the Overlord taunted with a sharp smirk. We growled and rose back upwards. There was noting to brag about yet.

"Are you done with this childish taunting?" Haou replied while I silently smirked. Nick scowled but said nothing. We drew our next card. "Graceful Charity! I can draw three cards, but I must discard two of them." We stared at them emotionlessly and then flickered over to Nick's field. He looked bored. We sent Elemental Heroes Sparkman and Clayman to the cemetery and then activated:

"Hope of the Fifth. This spell card allows me to shuffle five monsters with Elemental Hero in their names back into my deck and then draw two cards. And if it is the last card in my hand when activated, I can draw an extra card."

Elemental Heroes Burstinatrix, Avian, Wild Heart, Sparkman, and Clayman shot out of my graveyard and I shuffled them securely back into my deck and drew three cards.

**_These will do nicely,_** Haou commented to me offhandedly.

_Ya think?_

Card Count:

Jaden: 3

Nick: 3

"I will activate my spell, Necro Illusion! I'll use this to summon King's Advisor in attack mode (Atk: 1000). Hmm, I guess your Overlord has a special ability? I thought as much."

"How?" Nick muttered, staring at his turned monster.

"Necro Illusion allows me to take one monster destroyed by battle from your graveyard and put him on my field. Unfortunately, he is sent back to the graveyard at the end of the turn. But guess what? Now that he's out, your King of Darkness comes back from out-of-play and is summoned to my side or the field too (4300)!"

"But I'm far from finished! Next I'll play Common Soul. With this card I can summon a Neo Spacian from my hand to the field. Come forward Grand Mole! I select one monster on my side of the field and add Grand Mole's attack points to him! So I'll choose King of Darkness (Atk: 5200)!"

Nick clapped his hands together slowly. "Very good, so now you can defeat my Overlord, or at least you would be able to. I still have Shadow Web, or did you forget?"

"Of course I didn't," we answered. "Attack him King of Darkness!"

"I'll just send another monster away and negate your attack," Nick coolly countered, sliding another card into his pocket.

"Perfect. Grand Mole! Attack him!"

"What?! My First and Last Overlord has far more attack points than that little rodent!!"

"Exactly! Grand Mole has a special ability which sends both the targeted monster and him back into our hands without any battle damage inflicted!"

"WHAT?!"

Grand Mole returned to our hand and nodded when we thanked him silently. Well, I thanked him. Haou just looked a bit less intimidating towards him. "Now I'll attack with King's Advisor!"

Attack: 1000 (King of Darkness' special ability)

Jaden: 1100

Nick: 1800

"I activate First and Last Overlord's ability! If I take damage the turn when he is sent off the field by battle or special ability I can summon him back to the field in defense mode and destroy all monsters on your side of the field, ignoring any effects they have! But I have to give you one monster with attack points at least within 500 points of half of the destroyed monsters' original attack points! So I will give you Dark Prince (Atk: 2000)!"

**(King of Darkness' original points: 4300. King's Advisors': 0. Half of 4300 is 2150 attack points)**

"Oh, and your turn automatically ends."

"That is one powerful card," I muttered under my breath when Haou remained silent.

Nick didn't seem alarmed that he had just turned his monster on himself, he seemed... nostalgic. "Strange how things work out, isn't it Jaden?"

"Huh?" I blundered before Haou could stop me. Dang it, maybe I should just let him take over completely again...

"Who do those cards resemble to you?"

"Umm... Royal people who rule darkness?" I exploded, earning me a mental assault from an angry Haou.

_**You sound like an idiot! Leave the talking to me!**_

_Well excuse me!_

"Yes, royalty. It reminds me very much of you and your father actually," Nick shrugged, his smirk turning deadly.

_**He's trying to distract us.**_

_It's working._

_**Not if I can help it.**_

Haou booted me back in darkness without any other warning, knowing that I wouldn't struggle. _Haou! I thought you said we had to work together to stall Nick out!_

_**Screw that. Your curiosity and emotions only serve as a distraction!**_

_But you feel them too..._

_**I can make myself feel nothing. Now be silent if you wish to listen to what your impudent cousin must say.**_

All I could do was obey.

"Both of you stand on the same side against me. You would be the Prince, the one who would inherit the throne if I hadn't interfered. And your father was the King, but he is no more, I destroyed him. I am the Overlord that took your place, the first and last Yuki son. Don't you see? I was born first, but of the second son, so I was born before you, but I was still last for the throne. And there you stand, still against me. But even now neither of you has enough strength to defeat me. You will be destroyed just as easily," he narrowed his eyes dangerously and repeated, "Isn't it strange how things work out?"

"That deck has been passed down, hasn't it?" Haou suddenly said, no tone entering his voice. "It is not rightfully yours, it is mine. What deliriums have you received that would allow you to believe that my own deck would defeat its true master?"

"So you figured it out, did you? Took you long enough Jaden, or excuse me, should I address you as Haou? But this deck has served me for years, and I have met no resistance in using it. I am its master, not you."

"We'll see," Haou shot back calmly. "But enough talk, we're in the middle of a duel, and I believe it's your move."

"I'll switch First and Last Overlord into Attack mode," Nick declared as he drew his card. "And then I'll get rid of this city with a field spell of my own; Dark Winged Kingdom!" I watched avidly through the mirror as Sky-Scraper was destroyed and replaced with what I assumed was a throne room. "In here all monsters with King, Prince, or Overlord in their names cannot be destroyed by traps and their attacks cannot be stopped by them either. So there goes your little trap card Haou."

I felt fear bubble in my chest before Haou shoved it away from me forcibly. We wouldn't survive a hit from that monster! I just hoped that we gave the others enough time to escape...

_Here's our last stand, Haou._

_**We've known that for a long time Jaden.**_

_You know, as far as evil-genocidal-mind-game-playing-maniacs go, you're not so bad to be a part of._

_**I suppose I could have been stuck with a worse alternate personality to deal with.**_

_I'll take that as a compliment, now let's finish it._

_**Oh, we will.**_

_Hey, Lex!_ I called out to her just as Nick declared his final attack. Her presence was there in an instant.

Jaden, she screamed, what's going on? Are you dueling Nick? Whose monsters are those?

_We can buy you guys a few more minutes, but this duel will leave us a bit... weak. How much longer do you need?_

How much longer do we need?! HOW CAN YOU ASK THAT LIKE YOUR LIFE DOESN'T MEAN ANYTHING?! YOU'RE MAKING YOURSELF SOUND LIKE A SACRIFICE INSTEAD OF A HUMAN BEING!

**_Just tell us Angel._**

You stay out of this you contradiction!

The attack swirled towards us, purple, black, and blue mixing together. Haou declared Dark Prince's attack in what looked like a last-ditch effort. I did start to feel the irony that Nick had pointed out. Even in what represented my card form, I was fighting to the death in an attempt to stop the Overlord. But I needed my angel to be with me here too.

This was my last stand, but now I had to take Nick down with me. That should cause enough confusion to ensure their safety... I turned my focus away from the two attacks drawing closer to each other and felt for Alexis again; wanting her to be the last face I'd see before death.

_Are you safe?_ I asked her, feeling Haou clench our hand with anticipation.

Yes... Jaden don't leave me!! Not again!! I can't lose you!

Her voice was like ice digging deeply into my heart, destroying it. She just sounded so hurt and confused... how could I do something like this to her? I sighed, rinsing myself of all of those thoughts and looked behind me, Haou turning our head. I imagined that I could see her still, almost home free, and wished her happiness somehow.

_Go, Alexis, we've got this under control. I love you, remember that._

And her presence was gone again, the last thought flickering in a vicious attempt to say she cared. We turned back to the duel, watching as our monsters finally started to connect in an explosion. Closing our eyes, we announced what would be the end of the male Yuki bloodline, hoping that someone could restore balance after we disappeared.

"Trap activates, Final Fusion."

"It's no use Haou," our enemy laughed openly. "You can't stop my attack!"

We opened our gold eyes again, knowing they were glowing as our power finally started to slip out of the cracks that our union had subdued. We felt it start to engulf us in an effort to protect us from dying, but we didn't let it.

"I'm not trying to stop your attack!" we shouted. "This card makes us both take damage equal to the combined attack points of our monsters! This duel is over!"

"Clever," Nick simply said as the field exploded into a blinding light. We were carried around by the gales, completely helpless and battered against the powerful explosion. Haou tried to right himself at one point and just ended up being pushed around more. He hesitated when Nick came into view, deciding something.

Suddenly the smoke cleared, and both of our life points standing strong. Both of our fields were blank, and Nick was frowning deeply, a disturbed look on his face. "Why would you just try and throw away your life like that to try and kill me? Are you mentally ill?"

Jaden: 1100

Nick: 1800

"No, I am not," we replied levelly, power lacing its way into our voice the longer this progressed. "I would gladly give up my own life to save those that matter to me."

"Haou, tell me you have not been corrupted by my cousin's foolish optimism," he demanded, his eyes narrowing.

Haou rolled our eyes and I let him respond, "I have not, trust me. I would much rather let everything loose and destroy all of you. Be thankful that his love protects him from me. Otherwise, you would already be dead at my feet."

I blinked, not expecting _that_ answer. But he was my evil half, so I supposed I should have known he was going to say something like that. Nick simply shook his head and held out a card for us to see.

"I activated the Quick-Play spell Power Balance from my hand. This made both of our monster's attack points read zero, which is why you can even continue to speak to me. It also allows us both to draw until we each have six cards in our hands," he continued as if nothing had happened. "I will then place two cards face-down and end my turn.

We couldn't complain, so we drew our cards wordlessly. "Now my monster comes back because of his special ability, both of our monsters had been destroyed because of their zero attack points. I must give you a monster with half of Dark Prince's so I'll give you Shadow Child. My turn ends here."

We drew our seventh card and checked the child on our field. (Atk: 1000, Def: 700)

Staring intensely at the cards in our hand and then up at the Overlord, we saw a strategy forming. "I activate"—we glanced up, surprised the Nick had used his face-down already—"hand destruction. We both discard five cards to the graveyard and then can draw two cards. There goes any strategy you may have had."

We growled and sent these cards to the grave: Neo Spacian Aqua Dolphin, Grand Mole, Flare Scarab, Dark Panther, and Glow Moss. Now all we needed was to get these two cards... we drew and smirked. This was over.

"I activate Fake Hero which allows me to summon Elemental Hero Neos to the field in attack mode (Atk: 2500)! This is as good as over because of your trap card Nick! Now I activate contact fusion!"

"But there are no monsters on your field other than Neos!" Nick objected.

"But there are six of them in my Graveyard! I can fuse all of them together to form," I shouted loudly, growing excited much to Haou's disgust. I could finally summon this monster! I've wanted to for such a long time and now I could use it to try and defeat Nick and save my friends, "Elemental Hero God Neos (Atk: 3000, Def: 2500)!!"

Nick raised his eyebrows at the golden monster, unimpressed as I shuffled the Neospacions and Neos back into my deck. "It gets better," we told him smoothly, removing all of the Neospacions from play. "We can remove any Neospacions from play and he gains their effects, along with 500 attack points for each of them! So I'll remove all of them!"

We nodded as Nick looked shocked, the six Neo Spacian colors surrounding God Neos and boosting his attack points to 6000. "I think I'll activate Air Hummingbird's effect first, you remember that right?"

Jaden: 3100

Nick: 1800

"Then I'll activate Aqua Dolphin's, which lets me search your hand for a monster weaker than mine and destroy it, giving you 500 points of damage if I discard one card from my hand." I slid Necroshade into the grave. "Let's see what you have in there..."

A female monster appeared on the field, her attack points equal to the Overlord's. We blinked in surprise at the new arrival but couldn't get a better look before our monster blew her away and Nick lost 500 points.

Jaden: 3100

Nick: 1300

"Finally, I'll activate Flare Scarab's ability, which allows God Neos to gain 500 attack points for every spell or trap card on your side of the field! (Atk: 7000) I think that we'll finish this for you now, shall we Nick? God Neos, end this!" we shouted, punching our fist into the air. Then I allowed my gaze to drift slightly and said my silent apology to Melody for having to kill her brother.

"Not so fast!" Nick called, waving his arms around the graveyard. The woman that we had destroyed appeared on the field and took the attack for him. We blinked, surprised as all of the monsters faded away and our duel-disks shut off, ending the duel. "That was Beloved Maiden's effect. When she is in the graveyard, she can defend me by reducing battle damage to zero and automatically ending the duel... You may know her better as the 'Angel' Jaden."

We blinked in surprise, completely caught off-guard by this twist of events. Our power took that chance and made a rush to escape, and Haou didn't fight to stop it, leaving me to forcibly push it back down.

_Why aren't you fighting?!_ I demanded, panting in the darkness as I exerted myself a bit too far.

_**We have no weapons, and this is a good time as any to try and free your cousin. He has just lost, whether it is official or not, and his defenses are weakened.**_

_But if we let it out we may not be able to rein it in!_

_**That is the chance we must take if you want to save them, he said, pointing behind us were the troops had been pushed far back.**_

He's right, the Rebellion has almost gotten through; they just need a little more time. I glanced through the mirror at the endless troops and frowned... and a little less bad guys couldn't be that bad, right?

_**Right.**_

I pulled Haou back into the darkness with me, stopping myself from resisting the lull and the numb state that my power gifted me with. It twirled around me, filling up my veins with its presence, and for once I let it run its course. I half-felt my hand lift up and examined my nails absently, then my sight faded, and I was in complete darkness.

* * *

**(3rd person POV)**

The Guardian looked up at Nick, who had gone pale. He flapped his wings, curious as to why the feathers only held white now instead of the three colors. He shrugged, realizing he didn't really care that much as he thought. He turned his golden eyes on the Overlord who was in his way and just stared at him.

"Jaden?" the man asked, surprised. Then he grinned, "No, you're the real him, the Guardian, right?" He didn't say anything in response, just watched him. Nick grinned larger, if that was even possible. "Well Guardian, I have a way to make your job so much easier."

He looked up, seemingly mildly interested, and allowed himself to gently touch down on the ground. The Overlord followed warily, wondering why the other hadn't said anything to him yet. Finally, the Guardian turned to him and observed him, opening his mouth to say, "You've learned control."

Nick smirked, hoping that meant that he was on the 'good side' of Jaden's corrupting power. It would appear that the annoying rebel that he had known was already out of the picture, perfect. "I took your advice to heart," he chuckled, referring to eight years ago. "And it gave me unlimited power."

"Almost unlimited," the teen reminded him, gazing around at the thousands of men and woman gathered around him who looked simply awed. "You've certainly thrown things into a new light."

Nick wasn't sure if that was a compliment or not, but knew better than to anger the Guardian if he enjoyed living. "I have a proposition for you Guardian," he continued when his cousin remained silent and watchful. The mild interest returned to his gold eyes. "If you would join me and my men, we could finally end this war and squash the Rebellion, which has been causing discord among the worlds and to my—our kingdom. We could capture your angel and keep her safe in the castle with us. My army and I could work with you to restore balance in Everlost..." he trailed off, letting the Guardian think of all the possibilities.

"I think," he started slowly, drawing it out, "that perhaps you haven't changed much. Of all of the things that you can control, myself is not one of them. It is my duty to watch over the worlds, and I know that it is not the Rebellion that is throwing it into chaos." His eyes settled onto Nick and held them, showing nothing, no remorse. "And I can keep my Angel safe by sending her to a place where no one else can ever hurt her again. You and your army are the forces that are destroying the worlds, and that Queen in Everlost. The only way you could help me is by killing yourselves instead."

It had gone deathly quiet in the army, all of the men and women staring at the two heirs to the throne. Nick shook his head sadly. "I was afraid you'd say that, so I guess we'll finally see just who's power is stronger now, shall we cousin?"

"If you wish to die so soon," he replied, and held out his hand simply, his eyes starting to glow. Nick picked up a sword that one of his men had dropped and flipped it around, a dark aura shielding his body from any mental attacks. "I see you've learned to block that," the guardian smirked, looking amused. "Perhaps I should let you live just to see exactly what you can do. But this army has to go."

"Go ahead," Nick laughed, "I dare you."

"That is not wise, but since you insist..." His hand closed into a fist and a rush of power exploded from him, searing the men like wildfire and spreading just as quickly. Soon they were all blinded by the light and the screaming started as they were captured in the strange grasp of the fiery energy, bursting into dust. The Guardian flinched suddenly, holding his heart and closing his eyes. The blast intensified, and Nick took a step back and squinted his eyes against the light, his own power barely enough to protect him from this blast.

The Guardian fell back as well, his gold eyes still glowing, the only thing visible to the Overlord in the flames. Jaden fell to his knees, clutching his heart painfully, "What is this pain I feel?" he whispered. "What is this feeling?"

He felt as if something was trying to pull him backwards into a corner, to lock him away. No, he remembered what if felt like to be there, and he liked it like this. Nothing to worry about, no conscious, able to settle things as easily as blasting them out of his way. "There will be no pain soon," he said to himself, closing his eyes and then opening them again. One was brown, and the other was gold.

* * *

**(Jaden POV)**

I have to stop this right now... _wait, that's what I'm doing already, ending all of the suffering and bringing calm back into the world..._ by destroying everyone, which isn't right... _unless they are the cause of death and suffering themselves. It's better to end than to try and mend everything..._

right? No, it may be harder to mend things, but ending them is just wrong..._ if they feel no pain, but if they are hurting, it's my duty to end their suffering..._ but not by ending them. I am supposed to use this for good... _or justice, which leads me to destroying this annoying power standing in my way..._ or is it really just to take a life? Who am I to judge...

_I'm the Guardian. It's my job to watch over these worlds and to end the war..._ with the Angel and she wouldn't approve of just killing anyone in my way... _until she sees how beneficial it is to just wipe a clean slate and start over again..._ and continue the cycle over and over again until the worlds are empty and lifeless?!..._ Calm and peaceful, no more war if there's no one left to fight..._ and no more life or worlds to protect...

_so then my duty is done and_... I would be a cold heartless murderer and the Angel would kill me before it got that far if I asked her too... _kill me. But would she really? If she felt pain because of what was happening, it would be my duty to send her away too.._. but I couldn't kill her, I love her!! Just like I can't kill Nick!

When my vision cleared I stood, with all of my love and hopes, between the two extremes with Haou at my side. Slowly, our sight fell to the right, where my own darkness swirled in oddly bright colors. Then we turned in the same way to the left where only the shadows survived. Steadily, we moved towards the dead area and out of my own domain, my helpless spirits traveling like ghosts into the other world of despair so similar to what our own had been.

There was the figure in the center of it, sprawled out peacefully as if sleeping. The form started to stir as images flickered in the low mirrors that hung around us all. Nick's soldiers, we realized, were being killed instantly by our power. Sad, but sacrifices had to be made to save this world.

The Overlord's gaze shifted slightly and we were staring at where I would be standing, only my glowing golden eyes distinguishable from the intense blast. We watched the Overlord raise his hand and an extra sword which with was protected by his own power. That wouldn't last for much longer.

I walked over to the figure that was stirring after his ten year slumber and took his shoulder in my hands. I took in his black spiky hair and his peaceful face silently. I shook him into wakefulness and watched as those blue eyes opened, confused and lifeless. I stood and so did he, but he did not seem to see me. I wasn't surprised. I didn't belong in my cousin's darkness of heart after all.

"You have a long way to go," I told him, even though he couldn't hear me. He had stopped and was staring without moving at the images displayed in the mirrors. "I may have revived you now Nick, but you can't conquer your darkness on your own."

**_When we die... is this what she meant?_** Haou wondered, speaking to me for the first time. **_She believed that our deaths would spur his good half to react?_**

I responded. "Nick used to be a good person. Cold at times and always indifferent, but his heart was in the right place."—I looked at the good half of my cousin again—"Nick Yuki, I know you can win. I did in the end too..."

This Nick did not hear me still, but he raised his eyebrows as the Overlord set his sights on Melody in the distance. I could not see a speck of darkness in her heart.

"Now I understand..." I said. "That's what you meant Haou."

Haou wordlessly nodded. _**The wheels of fate have already been turned. Just remember that our deaths do not only affect those close to you. They affect the fates of these worlds as well. Without you, neither can win the war and they know it.**_

**"On that day, when the tears fall red, their love will end the current world,"** I quoted from the prophecy. Haou nodded, a sad smile shading his darkened lips.

_"Some things cannot be broken Jaden. Love is one of them, I would know, being unable to take over while you are in love."_

_"Love is not a weakness."_

* * *

**(END POV)**

The light suddenly blinded them, blocking everything from view until it faded, and there Nick stood with a total of seventy soldiers and his sword trained on Jaden's neck. Jaden however, was smiling despite the fact that he was on his knees and taking in shaky gulps of air. He did not remember landing, but none of that mattered right now. He had done all he could. His friends and love were safe. Nick didn't have Alexis in his paws.

He was going to see Lillian again, and Liz and Serena. He could finally meet Atrus's little brother Dexter. Maybe... maybe he could even see his father again. He felt his throat growing tight. He could talk to Darkal, tell him how Allian was doing...

But he would lose the one thing that mattered to him more than life itself. He closed his eyes, allowing himself to be bathed in all of the memories they had shared, and the life they almost had together.

* * *

The music started playing over the radio as they finished up their card game, and Alexis smiled warmly. "I love this song," she said, reaching over to turn up the volume. I placed my hand over hers, turning the dial with her.

* * *

... We crashed into the water, suddenly kissing. It was like some force the neither or us could understand had finally driven us together, showing us how much a person could care in just a simple touch. I let go of my surprise, melting into the wonderful bliss that came from kissing her—the one I love. Everything just seemed perfect, all of my troubles and fears faded as she kissed back. Nothing in the world could keep us apart. No force could destroy us...

* * *

... Alexis whispered gently, "I'd be happy to die to save you. I love you! How many times do I need to say it so that you'll believe it?! A thousand? A million?"

"Lex... I can't put you in that kind of danger. I can't let you get hurt, any of you."

"Why? Why won't you let me in Jaden?" Alexis questioned. She closed her eyes and turned away as if in pain. "Why won't you let me share your burden?"

"Because I love you..."...

* * *

..."You're always there for me Lex. There have been plenty of times that I've been ready to give up, and you always managed to snap me out of it and keep me fighting. You didn't even know then how dangerous it was for me to give up! You were a great friend, so loyal and beautiful. You could be harsh sometimes, but I still loved you... even if I didn't recognize it until I thought I lost you. Lex, I've had a rough life. Sure, I've had my laughs and my adventures, but it was never different. I was forever lost, just waiting and hiding out from the Overlord until my days were up and I couldn't hurt anyone again. I was just trying to be myself, as much of myself as I could, and prove to me that I wasn't really a monster. You showed me that Alexis. You saved me. You loved me."...

* * *

... I simply held her close to me, enjoying the warmth between us. Her arms wrapped around my back and we fit together perfectly, like a puzzle that had finally been completed. I knew it, she was the one. And I love her more than anything. We pulled apart, walking into class with our hands intertwined, and the students went wild. But it didn't matter what they thought about us. All that mattered was our love...

* * *

... We swam around in the small lake at 'our spot', laughing like children. I went under, tickling her exposed ribs and she curled up into a ball with a laugh, submerging with me. I leaned in and placed a peck on her lips happily, sharing our kiss. We broke the surface soon afterwards, her arms still wrapped around me. "I love you," I told her softly.

"Promise me something?"

"Anything."

"Whatever the future brings, whatever gets in our way, just remember us now, like this. Just remember us, promise?"

"I promise, because all I can see in my future is you."...

* * *

... "Then marry me."

..."Yes."...

* * *

... "So what's the name to this song?" I wondered, holding her closer now that the music was starting to get to me. The beat was slow and probably one of the sweetest songs I had ever heard of.

"Your Guardian Angel," she said, leaning her head again my shoulder and closing her eyes, listening to my heart beat.

"Huh. What do ya know..."...

* * *

_I'm so sorry Alexis, he thought, fighting the tears. But I had to save you. I couldn't let you fall... just like it says..._

'Even if saving you sends me to heaven'

_I'll see her again, someday. I just know it._

He bit his lip as the barely contained power demanded to be released. He held it down by sheer willpower, having no strength left to even stand let alone stop a flood that he had leaked out. He took a deep breath, his eyes brown again, and looked Nick straight in the eye. Nick seemed uncertain all of the suddenly, gazing into those eyes. But his sword stayed trained on his neck, giving the Guardian one last chance to join him and live. To stop being a child playing hide-and-seek in the cliffs. To become an adult. To gain power.

_But..._

_He seems almost like an adult,_ he thought in surprise. _Why is there no fear in his eyes? Why does he seem almost... happy? He's separated himself from his Angel and he won't see her again. Why isn't he angry? Sad? Scared? Why are none of them afraid to die for the Rebellion? Do they all see something that I cannot? Is what Haou said true? Am I really half-blind?_

_Could Jaden actually understand more than he did? Was Jaden more than just a foolish child?_

Part of him questioned these thoughts, making accusations against the judgment until Jaden was seen once more as a child... a child maturing rapidly as he turned back to meet his death with heavy bursts of breath. What was this feeling... was it... sorrow? Did he actually feel for the death of someone who used to be his close friend?

_What were these thoughts?! Where did they come from?!_

Jaden looked up to meet the end of the sword, staring down his cousin. "I promised..." he whispered to himself. Even though his eyes were swimming with tears, their unique and blazing fire had not yet been extinguished. "I won't beg," he began in a more steady tone. "I won't give you the satisfaction. Because now... I'm ending the current world."—His gaze drifted slightly to the south, where Alexis hung in Chris' arms, her hand still outstretched, still waiting—"We're ending this world..."

* * *

... I woke up back in the ruins, Alexis sleeping on my shoulder. I was surprised to see my friend so close to me, but disregarded it, gently moving her aside to pick up my card. I watched the sky for a while and then decided that I'd let them sleep, they probably needed it. So I sat back down next to Alexis and let her head fall on my shoulder, somehow this situation feeling just... right...

* * *

That light in his eyes shone with bright intensity, and Nick could not understand his meaning. What could his death possibly do to change the world? Then it hit him like a tornado, and he almost lost his nerve to strike Jaden down.

**"And as love brought them together, it was love that would destroy them**

**With their dust floating in the wind, all hope vanishes—"** Nick started.

**"—And with lost hope comes an end to this fight of eternity**

**And they will all rest in peace,"** Melody whispered, quoting it to herself as she stepped through the portal, tears streaming down her face and completing the last part of the prophecy.

Jaden smiled up at him sadly, his eyes still blazing. "You can't win Nick. Love is one thing you can't mess with, and that's what brought me to you today... I love her... love her enough to die for her... I'm not sad. I've lived as much as I could... there's nothing I would erase... all of it brought the two of us together. And you... even you can't tear us apart. Even when my last breath leaves me, I'll still love her... she'll still love me. How can you face something like this and win in the end?" His eyes flickered gold briefly. "The Rebellion has already pushed through and escaped. Now you have to kill me, the one hope you have for victory... love beat you Nick. It will always beat you..."

* * *

... We had finally made it to our picnic on our first date, settling down at our spot. I ate with gusto as usually, and Alexis laughed softly, glad that she had made me pack extra food for later. We visited the beach by the lake after we ate and sunbathed, me just simply happy to be near her and holding onto her in my arms. I never wanted to let go...

* * *

"Damn you Jaden!" Nick spat and his sword swung down, fully knowing the consequences of what he was about to do. But he did not have a choice; Jaden could only be a bane for his powers for a few more minutes, and that would leave them all dead. His own might would not stand against the Guardian with no Earthly chains to tie him down. The only problem was could he do it? Could he really end all hope that his people had for ending this war? What would happen if he took Jaden's life and erased it? What could happen?

"JADEN!!" Alexis sobbed over the valley, her voice the only thing ringing strong and true. "JADEN, I LOVE YOU! I'LL WAIT FOR YOU!"

He smiled softly under the aim of the biting sword and said his final farewell.

_I can love you now until the end of time. I will see you again someday, and I will cherish it, Alexis._

_I'll never forget you, not even in death._

With his golden-brown eyes soft, he faced the steel that would result in his long sleep, her essence flickering through his mind. And her hazel eyes cried out rivers until they closed in a faint as she heard him.

Then a lone scream pierced the air, haunting to the mourners' ears as the witnessed a single glow of dust Rising above the ocean of monsters blocking the guardian from view, and leaving this world to its Descent.

* * *

**JUDAI HERE! AxJfan LEFT ME A NOTE TO READ TO YOU GUYS BECAUE SHE IS CERTAIN THAT YOU ARE WELL... GOING TO GET CREATIVE WITH HER!!**

**SHE SAYS TO CHECK OUT THE WITHOUT YOU VIDEO THAT WAS MADE ON YOUTUBE **

**(BY CLUELESSANDPROUD)AND TO HIT THE REVIEW BUTTON PLEASE BEFORE YOU GO ONTO THE EPILOGUE SO THE STORY COULD REACH UP TO 250 REVIEWS!**


	29. Epilogue: Promise

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**Epilogue**

**(INCASE YOU DIDN'T CATCH THAT)**

She opened her eyes, holding her knees close to her chest, unwilling to go back to consciousness. Unwilling to face a world without Jaden. Tears streaked down her cheeks, desperate just to see any part of him. To see him smile again.

She sobbed. "Why did he leave me? Why did you have to go Jaden?"

Silence.

She buried her head in her knees, shaking and rocking, letting out all of her despair and trying to cling onto the feeling that she had whenever he was around. She imagined it, attempting to sooth her shattered soul, but it wasn't enough. She was missing half of herself, half of who she was. She needed him more than she had ever realized, and now he was gone.

Would he wait for her? She couldn't bear to live in this world for much longer. But if she did join him again, would they be in the same place? Would God take pity on her pour broken soul and let her be with him? Would Jaden understand? Of course he would. He had almost done the same thing when he lost her. He'd understand...

"I'll wait for you Alexis."

She froze mid-sob, her heart racing against her will. She would rather have it stop beating. Gently, ever so gently as if she might shatter in his hands, she felt his fingers wipe away her tears and his arms wrap around her like a fortress, her guardian. "J-Jaden?"

She felt his lips tug into a smile against her check. She pulled away, hoping against all hope that this wasn't some twisted illusion or trick. But no, there he was, right by her side as if nothing had happened, smiling.

A different kind of tears rolled down her face this time. She reached out and cupped his face with her hands, gazing into his brown eyes. "Why Jaden? Why did you go?"

"I had to protect you," he said, covering her hands with his innocently, his eyes never leaving her. "If you came, Nick would have captured you and I would never let you get hurt."

"But you did hurt me!" she whispered, barely audible. "You left me! You died!!"

"Lex," he murmured, pulling her into one of his bear hugs. "I'm here, it's alright now. I'm here..."

"I'm not going back," she confided, tears muffling her voice. "I'm staying with you, no matter what it does to me. I just can't live without you Jaden."

He stroked her hair just as he did before all of this. "It's not your time Alexis, you can't die yet."

"Why?" she asked. "I already feel as if the life has been drained out of me. All that's left is to stop this painful heart from its endless beating against me. Why?"

He pulled away, holding her cheeks now. Then he smiled, "I intend to keep my promise."

* * *

**JUDAI HERE AGAIN! AxJFAN WOULD LIKE TO REMIND YOU CRAZY LAWYERS OUT THERE THAT SHE DOES NOT OWN YU-GI-OH! GX (COUGH-COUGH-THANK-RA-COUGH-COUGH) OR "YOUR GUARDIAN ANGEL" BY THE RED JUMPSUIT APPARATUS BECAUSE SHE FORGOT TO MENTION IT LAST CHAPTER!**

**SHE ALSO ASKS THAT YOU REVIEW AND TELL HER WHAT YOU THINK ABOUT HER STORY (UNLESS YOU'RE A FLAMER) TO HELP HER REACH HER GOAL OF: **

**250 REVIEWS!**

**THE CHARACTER GUIDE WILL BE COMING OUT IN A FEW DAYS (SHE SAID SHE DECIDED TO GO INTO HIDING BEFORE SNEAKING TO THE LIBRARY TO UPDATE O.O)**

**THEN THE PROLOGUE FOR THE NEXT BOOK IN THIS, THE DESCENT, WILL BE OUT! THEN SHE WILL UPDATE HER VERY NEGLECTED OTHER STORIES!!**

**SHE WOULD ALSO LIKE TO SAY:**

**THANK YOU READERS!!**

**AND**

**GOOD-BYE THE RISING!!**

**EDIT: I (AxJfan) have set up a poll on my profile. What is it for? It's to see which story I will be updating until completion along with The Descent. **

**So make sure you vote for the story you want me to finish. Reviewers without accounts can just leave them in reviews and I will still count them for the end result. **

**Thank you so much!!**

* * *


	30. Character Guide and Songs and AN!

**HI GUYS, HERE IS THE CARACTER GUIDE THAT I PROMISED AND I'M VERY CLOSE TO FINISHING THE PROLOGUE FOR THE DESCENT!**

**EXPECT IT TO BE UP HERE IN ABOUT TWO DAYS. **

**AND I MUST THANK ALL OF YOU WONDERFUL REVIEWERS FOR HELPING ME REACH MY TARGET GOAL OF 250 REVIEWS!! THANK YOU SO MUCH!!**

**I ALSO ADDED A FEW SONGS THAT MOTIVATED ME TO MAKE THIS JUST FOR FUN!**

Character list of all of my OC's!

Deceased:

1**. Lillian Lessinhop**

Hair: straight red and long

Eyes: change depending on mood

Species: Fairy-Elemental hybrid

Age: 13 at death

Relations: Twins with Chris Lessinhop. Girlfriend of Jaden Yuki. Member of the Evermore Rebellion.

Cause of Death: Murdered by Nick Yuki, the Overlord, when she was thirteen. Believed to be the Angel.

Purpose: She was an old girlfriend of Jaden's and she was killed because she loved him. Causes Jaden to be more protective of Alexis because he fears that history will repeat itself.

**2. Dexter Auriol**

Hair: chaotic red hair, medium length

Eyes: Green and big

Species: Merman

Age: he was 6 when he died

Relations: Atrus' little brother. Was part of the Everlost Rebellion.

Cause of Death: Killed by a guard when he and his older brother Atrus tried to save a human girl who had fallen into their world.

Purpose: Shows the cruelty of the guards and how it is forbidden to be in touch with a human in Everlost.

**3. Serena Delane**

Hair: long purple hair

Eyes: light purple in color and almond-shaped

Species: Mermaid

Age: 43

Relations: Married to Michael Delane. Has one daughter, Liz Delane. Was the leader of the Everlost Rebellion. Rescued Jaden when he tumbled into Everlost as a child and hid him from the palace guards.

Cause of Death: Killed by the Queen to motivate Atrus, Adria, and Liz to obey her.

Purpose: She was the leader of the Everlost Rebellion and she shows the Queen's cruelty.

**4. Liz Delane**

Hair: Blonde and shoulder-length

Eyes: purple and big

Species: Mermaid

Age: 16

Relations: Very close to Jaden Yuki, commonly referred to as his 'little sister'. Also was close to Melody Yuki, Jaden's cousin. Daughter of the Everlost Rebellion leader. Best friends with Adria and Atrus. Was forced into working for the Queen with her friends when the Everlost Rebellion was betrayed and captured.

Cause of Death: She used the power of the Soul Scepter to double-cross the Queen and save Duel Academy from an Everlost attack. It drained away her strength and she died saving the school.

Purpose: Savior of Duel Academy and friends with Melody and Jaden Yuki.

**5. Darkal Morestroili**

Hair: Dark brown. Long and messy with bangs covering his scar across his eye for most of the story, but he cuts it off before he dies.

Eyes: Gray and serious

Species: Fallen Angel

Age: 402

Relations: Very close to the Rebellion leader, Allian Pronscea. Second-in-command of the Evermore Rebellion. Friendly with Jaden Yuki and acknowledges his friends and angel. Doesn't seem to resent anyone and is always at Allian's side, reminding her of her mistakes and praising her for overcoming them.

Cause of Death: Pushed Allian out of the way in a death spiral and took her place to kill the leader that as blocking their way of escape from Nick's main army. Allian tried to heal him, but failed and he died giving her his blessing and calling her his guardian angel.

Purpose: The strong and always calm head figure in the Rebellion, Allian's opposite to give her advice and strategies that she wouldn't have thought of otherwise. Seems to know more about Allian's blunders than anyone else and Allian commented that he had been the one that pulled her out of the castle.

**6. Lucian Propina**

Hair: spiky disheveled blue hair

Eyes: Narrow and untrusting purple eyes.

Species: Pixie

Age: 103 (go strange aging laws!)

Relations: Dislikes Jaden and believes him to be evil because of his power. Part of the Evermore Rebellion.

Cause of Death: Tried to kill Alexis Rhodes but failed when Jaden threw the man's sword at him and killed him instead to protect her. Jaden seems to hold more guilt than he should for a traitor's death.

Purpose: Called a 'traitor' by Jaden in a confusing brawl. Shows the bitter side of the Rebellion and that not everyone believes that Jaden can still do good with such an evil inside of him. Also makes Jaden realize that he has to figure out the Queen's orders if he doesn't want to end up killing more 'innocent' people.

**7. Alice Calliente**

Hair: shoulder-length curly green hair

Eyes: such a dark green they are almost black. Wide and innocent until she is pranking someone or mad.

Species: Sprite

Age: 16

Relations: Friends with Jaden Yuki, Lillian Lessinhop, Chris Lessinhop, and partners-in-crime with Atticus Rhodes. Part of the Evermore Rebellion. Hates the Overlord for what he did to Lillian and Jaden. Enjoys pranking Allian and Darkal.

Cause of Death: After safely escorting the children of the Evermore Rebellion into Ondine's care, she was cornered by Nick's army. She used her invisibility to kill twenty of them, but couldn't escape because of Nick's power. She was captured and fought Nick wearing the illusion of Melody. She died after Nick broke her illusion and stabbed her in the gut.

Purpose: Showed Nick's Achilles' Heal and also tried to lighten up the Rebellion after Lillian died and Jaden stopped visiting so often.

**8. Messenger**

Hair: long and tangled red hair

Eyes: green and slanted

Species: Human, though her body has the wings and talons of a dragon because of the Overlord's power.

Age: unknown (she tried to strangle me when I asked)

Relations: Works for the Overlord. Dueled with Jaden Yuki while still at Duel Academy to try and capture him and destroy all of his little 'pets' (friends). Attacks them leaving Duel Academy but is stopped when the Everlost interfere.

Cause of Death: Was scouting the cliffs for the Overlord and spotted Jaden and his friends. She dueled Jaden to the death while trying to continue her mission to kill all of his friends and the angel, but Jaden prevailed and killed her with a knife.

Purpose: One of the many dangers there are to the Guardian and Angel and gives Jaden's friends a clear insight that he will protect them all no matter what the consequences for him.

**9. Charles Yuki**

Hair: short and brown

Eyes: brown, a bit slanted, but calming.

Species: Human, but a Yuki so he possesses the darker half of one's self amplified.

Age: (weeeeeeelllllllllllllllll, if he was still alive he'd be 43)

Relations: Father of Jaden Yuki and husband of Madeline Yuki. Older brother of Derrick Yuki and brother-in-law of Cathie Yuki. Overlord of Evermore before being murdered.

Cause of Death: IN the HUMAN world, he was believed to be dead just as Jaden turned one year old. A seemingly random streak of black lightning came down from a freak storm and 'killed' him. But all it really did was transport him to his father's bedside in Evermore where his dark half was awakened and he no longer cared for his son and wife. While staring out at the Overlord's memorial, he was killed from behind by his eight-year-old nephew, Nick Yuki. His life was taken by his own sword.

Purpose: Shows the life-lines of the Yuki's first-borns and the 'family curse'. Also shows what would have happened to Jaden if he hadn't have been aware of his Dark Side already and if Nick had not usurped the throne.

That's a lot of dead OC's!!

**Living OC's**

**10. Allian Pronscea**

Hair: long blonde hair

Eyes: narrowed electric blue eyes

Species: Angel (white wings)

Age: 300

Relations: Leader of the Evermore Rebellion. Close with the deceased Darkal Morestoili and Jaden Yuki. Respects the Angel, Alexis Rhodes, and Jaden's human friends. Betrayed the Rebellion when she was very young, but later returned and took the role of leader from her parents, Elaine and Brain Pronscea.

**11. Maxine Auriol**

Hair: waist-length pink hair

Eyes: green and sharp

Species: Mermaid

Age: 43

Relations: Married to Stephan Auriol. Atrus' and (the deceased) Dexter's mother. Friendly with Jaden Yuki and Melody Yuki. Part of the Everlost Rebellion.

**12. Stephan Auriol**

Hair: Short red hair

Eyes: Onyx and narrowed

Species: Merman

Age: 44

Relations: Married to Maxine and father to Atrus and the deceased Dexter Auriol. Friendly with Jaden and Melody Yuki. Part of the Everlost Rebellion.

**13. Atrus Auriol**

Hair: short and black hair that hangs around his face

Eyes: Green, sometimes look more like the sea when underwater.

Species: Merman

Age: 17 (just turned 17)

Relations: Son of Maxine and Stephan Auriol. Brother of deceased Dexter Auriol. Close friends with Melody and Jaden Yuki. Part of the Everlost Rebellion.

**14. Patrick Sureal**

Hair: Black and long

Eyes: Gray and wide

Species: Merman

Age: 36

Relations: Married to Angela Sureal and father of Adria. Friendly with Jaden and Melody Yuki. Part of the Everlost Rebellion.

**15. Angela Sureal**

Hair: Long red hair

Eyes: blue and wide

Species: Mermaid

Age: 34

Relations: Married to Patrick Sureal and mother of Adria. Friendly with Jaden and Melody Yuki. Part of the Everlost Rebellion.

**16. Adria Sureal**

Hair: Purple hair and long

Eyes: Gray

Species: Mermaid

Age: 18 (turning 19)

Relations: Daughter of Patrick and Angela Sureal. Close friends of Jaden and Melody Yuki and Liz Delane (see deceased list). Part of the Everlost Rebellion. Seems to harbor feelings for Atrus Auriol.

**17. Michael Delane**

Hair: short blonde hair

Eyes: Red and hard, narrowed

Species: Merman

Age: 45

Relations: Married to Selena Delane (see deceased list) and father of Liz Delane (see deceased list) . Friendly with Jaden and Melody Yuki. Part of the Everlost Rebellion.

**18. Christopher Lessinhop**

Hair: Used to be (when he was younger) frizzled and crazy red, but after the castle it is more tamed and regal looking. (kinda)

Eyes: Depends on his mood, but is usually a mix of green and something else for excitement.

Species: Fairy-Elemental hybrid.

Age: 18

Relations: Twin brother to Lillian Lessinhop (see deceased list) and very close friend of Jaden Yuki. Part of the Evermore Rebellion. Went undercover in Nick's castle to pose as a spy for the Rebellion.

**19. Gravelon**

Hair: white and wispy, only barely covering his head.

Eyes: Small and gray

Species: Gargoyle

Age: 534

Relations: Friendly with Jaden Yuki and Alexis Rhodes. Part of the Evermore Rebellion. Also seen stowing away a mysterious scroll from the Overlord's army tent...

**20. Niemona**

Hair: ... Do dragons have hair? (gets torched by dragon) I guess not, that'd be too flammable... O.o

Eyes: Sharp and knowledgeable green eyes.

Species: Dragon

Age: Pfft, like I was going ask her.

Relations: Swore fealty to Jaden Yuki to undo her bonds with the Overlord and seems to care for the child and Alexis Rhodes as if they were her children, constantly calling them 'little ones'. Part of the Evermore Rebellion after freeing the prisoners with Christopher Lessinhop at the Overlord's castle.

**21. Ondine**

Hair: long blonde

Eyes: Tricky and clever, always look like the color of the water she's in

Species: Naiad

Age: She said she stopped counting after 1000, but insists that she still looks no older than 500.

Relations: After an... interesting deal with Sir Lawrence, she went back home to Everlost and joined the Everlost Rebellion. Now she leads it after Serena's death. Friendly with Jaden and Melody Yuki.

**22. Cathie Yuki**

Hair: Long brown hair usually pulled up.

Eyes: Warm caring pink eyes.

Species: Human

Age: 40

Relations: Melody and Nick's mother and married to Derrick Yuki. Sister-in-law with Madeline Yuki and misses her nephew Jaden terribly.

**23. Derrick Yuki**

Hair: Black and long

Eyes: blue and wide

Species: Human

Age: 41

Relations: Melody and Nick's father and married to Cathie Yuki. Brother-in-law with Madeline Yuki.

**24. Madeline (Madi) Yuki**

Hair: Shoulder-length red

Eyes: Tired and brown

Species: Human

Age: 42

Relations: Married to Charles Yuki (see deceased list) and mother of Jaden Yuki. She works for Kaiba Corporation.

**25. Caravelon**

Hair: short and blone

Eyes: sad and red

Species: Human-turned messenger, but failed.

Age: 35

Relations: Father of two children, Luke and Lisa, and married to Evangeline. Was taken from his home by Nick's army and transformed into a failed messenger, then ejected out of the castle with the other mistakes. Jaden Yuki healed him and sent him back home after relaying a message to his Aunt that they were alright. A small child around five years old answered the door. She had red eyes like him and blue hair like her mother. "Daddy!" she screamed and flung herself at him.

**26. Lisa**

Hair: Long and blue

Eyes: Innocent and red

Species: human

Age: 10

Relations: Daughter of Caravelon and Evangeline. Sister of Luke.

**27. Luke**

Hair: short and blonde

Eyes: wide and emerald-green

Species: Human

Age: 9

Relations: Son of Caravelon and Evangeline. Brother of Lisa.

**28. Evangela**

Hair: long blue hair

Eyes: green and slanted

Species: human

Age: 33

Relations: Married to Caravelon and mother of Luke and Lisa. Was terribly sad when Caravelon went missing in the human world.

**29. Golan (character no-one cares about/I hate him for being the death of Darkal)**

Hair: brown buzz-cut

Eyes: black and sharp

Species: Aven

Age: 47

Relations: Placed in charge of the second army by the Overlord, Nick Yuki.

Cause of Death (I forgot about him): He managed to corner the male leader of the Evermore Rebellion, Darkal Morestroili into death combat. While fighting the cornered fallen angel, Allian Pronscea tackled him, clawed his eyes, and then jabbed an arrow into his eye socket repeatedly. She meant to kill him, but the armor and thick skull of Aven's were too strong for the flimsy bow. So she started the death spiral, intending to take out the leader to cause chaos for the soldiers and allow her people to escape and seize victory, but Darkal took her place and died to save her.

Purpose: He was just, like, there man.

**SONG LIST!!**

_Until the Day I Die_ by Story of the Year

_Fall for you_ by Secondhand Serenade

_Hero/Heroine_ by Boys like Girls

_Already Over_ by Red

_Breathe into me _by Red

_With Me_ by Sum 41

_Homeless Heart_ by Amanda Stott

_Your Guardian Angel_ by The Red Jumpsuit Apparatus

_Tears don't fall_ by Bullet for my valentine

_Diary of Jane_ by Breaking Benjamin

_Dirty Little Secret_ by The All American Rejects

_Disappear_ by Hoobastank

_Someday_ by Nickelback

_Take my Hand_ by Simple Plan

_Truly Madly Deeply_ by Cascada

_Time of Dying _by Three Days Grace

_Change Your Mind_ by All American Rejects

_More Than It seems_ by Kutless

_On Top of the World_ by Boys like Girls

_Neverending Dream_ by Cascada

_Yours to Hold_ by Skillet

_Keep Holding_ on by Avril

_Say Goodbye_ by Skillet

_Never Too Late_ by Three Days Grace

_This is a Call Out_ by Thousand Foot Krutch

_I Will Try To Fix You_ by Cold Play

_Still Waiting_ by Sum 41

_Lie to Me_ by 12 Stones

* * *

**IT GOES ON FOR A BIT LONGER, BUT I THOUGHT I'D CUT IT OFF RIGHT THERE! **

**AND GUYS, IF HONEY SWEET SONG REVIEWS THIS STORY, DON'T LASH OUT AT HIM/HER REVIEW, I CAN HANDLE WHATEVER HE/SHE MAY HAVE TO SAY. **

**I ASKED HER/HIM TO CHECK OUT THIS STORY, AND NO, I HAVE NOT JUMPED OFF THE _DEEPER_ END (I'VE FALLEN OFF THE DEEP END A LOOOOOOOOONG TIME AGO).**

**SO PLEASE NO ATTACKING BACK NO MATTER HE/SHE HAS DONE TO YOUR PAST STORIES, I'M DOING SOMETHING NEW HERE AND TRYING TO SEE IF I CAN SHOW HER/HIM SOMETHING. **

**IF YOU ATTACK HER/HIM, I CAN GUARENTEE MY RESPONCE WILL BE LESS THAN PLEASENT! n.n**

**ON ANOTHER NOTE, I HAVE TO THANK YOU ALL AGAIN FOR YOUR WONDERFUL REVIEWS!! I COULD HAVE NEVER REACHED THIS LEVEL IN MY WRITING WITHOUT YOU! I LOOK FORWARD TO HEARING FROM YOU ALL IN MY NEXT UPDATE! **

**UNTIL THEN,**

**AxJfan**


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